The Bodyguard
by lforlinstead
Summary: "Never let them out of your sight. Never let your guard down. Never fall in love." AU, Royals inspired.
1. Chapter 1

Detective Erin Lindsay was drunk. Forget drunk, she was pretty fucking wasted. She rolled over on the couch, wondering why she was suddenly so cold. Then she figured out that _he'd_ gone into the kitchen. A couple of minutes earlier he'd been lying on top of her, his erection so far inside of her she could practically feel it inside her stomach. She'd lay there in the darkness, let him have his way, and then he'd disappeared into the other room leaving her cold and naked.

She forced herself onto an elbow and stared around the lounge. It was no lie that she'd let the mess get the better of her. Empty beer bottles and condom packets littered her floor. Several stubs of (his) cigarettes lay in the ashtray on the table. Her dirty clothes were in a heap next to the couch. Erin reached for her tank and yanked it over her head, forcing her arms through the holes. She sniffed, leaned forward, and noticed the baggy he'd left on the coffee table in front of her. A gift, you could call it, for how well she'd performed. _Oh well what the hell_ she thought _I deserve this_.

Erin found the already-used rolled up dollar bill and emptied the clear packing of its contents. She practically fell forward onto her knees and snorted, the white powder rushing its journey up her left nostril. The thrill of it only lasted seconds and then she was back to feeling like shit. Her everyday feeling these days. She slouched back, her exposed shoulders in line with the couch. Erin ran a hand underneath her nose, making sure she hadn't left any trace of the drugs. Not that it mattered, her apartment already resembled a drug den anyway.

Her iPhone lay on the messy coffee table too. She touched the home button and the screen came to life, telling her it was already midday. Although, she couldn't remember the last time she cared about what time of day it was. Still, she couldn't lay around all day…she had to get to work. With a huge sigh, Erin lifted her weight from the floor and dragged her feet into the kitchen.

He was smoking a joint, leaning out of the window. "I have to go," he spoke with his back to her, although he must have heard her come in.

The spliff he inhaled filled the room with a disgusting aroma. Erin wafted a hand in front of her face, straining to see him through the cloud of smoke. She stood frozen to the spot and watched as he threw the stub out of the window and down onto the street below. A habit of his she hated because the neighbors would file a complaint against her one of these days. They were bound to figure out they were coming from her apartment.

Her company, she couldn't remember this one's name, turned to face her and closed the gap between them. His breath was a foul concoction of whisky and fag ash. He pulled her chin into his palm and planted his lips against hers, squeezing her ass with his other hand at the same time.

"You're a good fuck you know," he laughed, finally releasing her from his grip. "We should do this again some time."

 _Fat fucking chance_ she thought, internally. Erin waited and watched as he walked away from her, back into the lounge where she assumed he'd left his clothes. She wiped the back of her hand against her mouth, the desire to remove all traces of him from her body was intense. She fought against making a gagging noise whilst he was still in the vicinity, yet when she heard the door slam closed, she stormed into the bathroom.

 _Why did she do it?_ Every single time afterwards, she felt disgusting. Ashamed. Used and worthless. But then she'd have another line and feel exactly the same again. It was an endless cycle, one that she thought would never get in the way of her job.

Today though, it was making her late. Erin stepped into the shower and scrubbed at her skin until she was red raw and almost bleeding. She forced two fingers down her throat and threw up the contents of her stomach, removing every trace of what had happened last night and this morning.

She stayed beneath the shower head, drinking large gulps of the water, her mouth so dry. Without looking down at her body, because that was something she hated doing, Erin turned off the water, stepped out, and wrapped a towel underneath her arms. Grabbing her toothbrush, she forced herself along the apartment towards her bedroom. Somewhere she hadn't paid much attention to in the past 24 hours. Her patrol uniform lay inside-out on the floor where she'd carelessly left it after yesterday's shift. Her king-sized bed still unmade after she'd rolled out of it, the comforter ruffled so she could practically crawl back into it. The thought _definitely_ crossed her mind.

Erin threw the towel onto her bed and walked to her closet, wriggling into a pair of jeans and a fresh tank. No need for any patrol uniform today. She shuffled back to the bathroom, spat up the contents of her mouth then searched around for her glock and badge. They never seemed to be where she left them. She located them eventually, beneath the piles of laundry and trash in her room.

"Gotcha," she said to herself and reached for them, grabbing her sunglasses and leather jacket before straightening herself up to look presentable.

The smallest part of her, in the back of her mind, told Erin that she shouldn't be driving to work. She always ignored the rational part of her thoughts though. So, locking the apartment behind her, she threw herself into the Jeep and started the engine.

Turning up the radio loud- to drown out all her thoughts and memories of this morning- Erin kept both eyes on the road on her route to work. By the time she reached the District, Erin was having the all too familiar withdrawal of caffeine, of her fix. Realizing she couldn't do anything about it, she pushed her sunglasses further up her nose and made for the building. She ignored snarky comments from the desk sergeant and headed for the bull pen, using the majority of her energy to climb the steps.

The rest of her team were huddled around one desk in conversation when she interrupted. They turned to face her, hearing her footfall, and Voight spoke up.

"Lindsay," his voice was low. "Nice of you to grace us with your presence. My office," his head tilted to the direction of it. "Now."

Erin used one hand to push her sunglasses off her face and followed him, glancing at the rest of her unit as she walked past. She shuddered slightly as Voight slammed the door behind them.

"Sit," he barked and she did, unzipping her leather and folding her arms, waiting.

"What the fuck, Erin?" one of his palms slammed against the desk. "What time do you call this?"

She shifted position to check the time on her cell phone. It wasn't in her pocket and Erin realized she hadn't picked it up off the coffee table. "I'm guessing 1pm?" she exhaled. "I thought I was on the late shift today-"

"You're not," Voight moved to occupy the chair opposite. "And this is becoming too much of a habit." As he looked at her, his face appeared to soften slightly. "I can't keep making excuses for you Erin," he shook his head. "The team, not to mention the Commander…they'll start to ask questions."

"I know," she replied, only just refraining from rolling her eyes. This was something he'd said before. "It won't happen again."

"You said that last week," Voight remembered. "And the week before."

"I know," the Detective repeated. _So what if she was going through this so-called 'rough patch'? It wasn't like he was gonna do anything about it._

"This isn't okay, I can't rely on you turning up out of your head or three hours late for work," Voight continued. "I don't want you to lose your job Erin but you can't keep going on like this."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Voight sighed. "It means I have a proposition for you," if she had lost any interest in the conversation, she was definitely listening now. "Put it this way, you have two choices. I send you to rehab," Voight watched his Detective twist her face at this: he knew she didn't wanna go there. He paused for a minute to make her sweat, before rising from his chair and walking towards the window. "There is another option. You know the Royal family, right?"

Erin's head shot up. "As in, the Queen?"

Voight nodded. "Yeah-"

"Well obviously I don't _know_ them," she sassed. "But I know who they are."

Her boss opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of a quick remark back. "Enough," he gulped. "They need somebody from the Intelligence Unit-"

"I'll do it."

"You don't even know what it entails-"

"Can't be that bad," she shrugged. "Cause I'm not going to any fucking rehab."

Voight's gaze drifted to the view outside. He wasn't even sure anymore if he could trust her, he didn't recognize the person she was turning into. _Should he even be offering her this opportunity in the first place?_ One glance back at Erin though, and suddenly she'd morphed into the vulnerable sixteen year old girl he used to know.

"Listen to me right now," his tone took a serious turn. "This is pretty fucking serious. They want somebody as a bodyguard for the Queen's youngest grandson."

Erin fought not to laugh out loud. " _Bodyguard?_ Me?!"

Voight avoided eye contact. "You're the one who doesn't want special treatment because you're a woman," he sighed, shook his head. "You do this…I draw a line in the sand."

She actually did laugh this time. "You mean, you'll actually get off my back?"

"…and you need to get off the drugs, get clean," he continued. "I doubt you'll have time to do them anyway."

"What do you mean?" she tried to maintain interest in the conversation. "All I'd have to do is babysit the Prince for a few hours, right? How bad can it be?"

"Erin," Voight folded his arms. "The Princes isn't four. He doesn't need babysitting." He moved for a minute, walking towards a pile of papers he had, seemingly to remind him of specific information. "Prince James Halstead isn't a child, he's 26." He watched her face change and head her gulp. "I'm doing this to challenge you. Let's just say he's got a bit of a reputation-"

"Enlighten me," Erin rolled her eyes.

"His family…they have their suspicions about his _recreational_ habits," he said. "I'm betting you're gonna be around drugs. I'm betting you're gonna be around alcohol. And you're gonna have to resist the temptation-"

"Maybe I'll go to rehab," she interrupted, only half joking.

"I'm serious," Voight sat in front of her. "He's getting the Royal family into the media for all the wrong reasons. You'd be the one accompanying the entourage in public engagements, acting professional, taming his behavior-"

"He's not a fucking lion, Hank-"

To her surprise, Voight laughed. "There's a part of me that believe you can do this. You're probably the best candidate I have to put forward: there's nothing to tie you down to this city, you have no commitments-"

Erin shifted position, one arm dangling down the side of the chair. "So what you're saying is I've got no choice? Or rather, I do but the alternative is a rehab? What if I don't wanna fly half way across the world to….I don't care _how_ you spin it, it sounds like babysitting."

"Oh Erin, it's not babysitting. They're relying on you to not let the media see him wasted. And yes, think of it this way: you go, you're proving to me you can work clean. You stay, and you're temporarily off my team and on unpaid sabbatical."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable." She wished she hadn't bothered turning up for her shift today, perhaps she could have avoided this conversation. Her chair was suddenly uncomfortable so Erin shot out of it. "How long do I have to decide?"

"Go home and decide. You'll be no use to me today," he said, taking in her appearance. Judging by the huge purple bags beneath her eyes and the constant fidgeting, she wasn't far from another fix or another pill. Voight knew he was being harsh. But she needed it. "Call me with your decision. Because they need somebody out there by the end of the week."

"Right," she huffed, turning her attention away from him. It was annoying that he had so much power over her but then again, he was initially the one who'd taken a chance on her. Erin held her head low as she walked out of the office, avoiding eye contact with the rest of her team. It kinda felt like she'd just been summoned to the principal's office, in front of all the other kids. She could feel eyes burning into the back of her until she reached the bottom of the stairs again and she was out of their sight. God knows just how much Voight had told them. Probably everything, considering they were a close unit.

When she reached the car, Erin slid into the driver's seat and thumped her forehead against the wheel. A bad idea for the headache that was already brewing at the front of her skull. The sooner she got back to the apartment, she could sleep it off. Erin rested against the headrest and pushed her sunglasses back over the top half of her face. She kept her foot on the gas until she reached the apartment block, probably having gone over the speed limit twelve times too many.

She was barely through the apartment door before she slithered her arms out of her leather, removing another item of clothing with each step she took towards the bedroom.

An annoying but familiar repetitive ringing sound disturbed her an hour later. Erin's head lifted slightly from her pillow and she threw the comforter off the top half of her body. The headache was gone, but she could definitely have slept for another hour. The cell phone by her bed told her it was just before 4pm and she'd expected the incessant bringing to be coming from the device.

It wasn't and it took her a second to realize that it was in fact the doorbell, somebody kept pressing and pressing so the ding-dong tune was constant in her eardrums. Erin huffed and slid out of the covers, pushing her messy curls away from her face. She threw the first long-ish shirt she came across over her body and swayed in the direction to the apartment door, her eyes scrunching with the brightness. "What the f-"

"Erin," _oh_. "Did you forget about our appointment?"

"No you're just in time," she replied, stepping back so he could get in. At least she could remember the name of this one- Tyler, right?- and Erin watched as he threw off his jacket, kicked off his shoes and seemed to make himself at home. "Beer?"

"Of course," Tyler smirked, widely so she could see his yellow teeth. "I brought you a present."

 _Intriguing._ Erin directed him into the kitchen and watched him stand in the middle of the room. _What the fuck was he looking around for?_ He'd been in this apartment countless times, there was no change and yet he was acting odd.

"What did you bring me?" she asked, jumping so she sat on the counter and her legs were swinging down the front of it. Her company turned towards her, a wicked grin taking over his face.

"Oh," Tyler reached into the pocket of his jacket and produced a baggy. He licked his bottom lip as he metaphorically saw Erin's eyes light up. As she reached eagerly for the white stuff, he held it out of her reach and tutted, shaking his head. "Ah, ah, ahhhh…" his head tilted in the direction of the lounge (or her bedroom, Erin couldn't tell because they were both to the left) "…You haven't given me what _I_ want yet," he sneered.

Erin clicked her tongue then held it to the roof of her mouth. _Of course_. She shouldn't expect anything less of Tyler, he always had the same fucking thing on his mind.

"The lounge then," she said, her hands playing with the bottom of the shirt she was wearing. Or rather, the one she wouldn't be for much longer. "Now."

"Oh a girl that tells me what to do is hot," he seethed, removing his jacket and throwing it carelessly onto her kitchen floor. He followed her into the lounge, looking on seedily as she let down her hair and with a deep breath, reached to take off the top she was wearing. As he walked towards her, he looked down at her arms and the tops of her legs where new bruises had formed, definitely since the last time he was here. "Who did this to you?"

"None of your business," Erin turned her back to him and lay on the couch, her hands resting on either side of her head. "Come on then," she gestured for him to come closer, lying in wait. Erin looked on as Tyler stripped himself of his clothes and climbed on top of her.

Her mind was elsewhere tonight and she lay there letting him have his way. She looked in his direction when it was necessary, to make it look as though she was interested. The reality was though, she was far from fucking interested.

When he was done, quicker than usual so he was either gonna be pissed or wanna do it again, Tyler stood above her and immediately started rolling up a joint. He lowered his naked buttocks onto the coffee table and inhaled, blowing a puff of smoke in front of him.

Erin rolled onto her side and stretched a hand to him, wanting her reward. She couldn't remember how many hours it had been since her last fix but she was beginning to feel it. A quick line would sort out her feelings for at least the next half hour- and that's all she cared about right now.

"I have a question," she said suddenly after he'd handed over the baggy.

"Shoot," Tyler spoke between puffs. "What is it?"

Erin's gaze was fixated on her new present but she still continued the conversation. "You have guys in London, right? I mean, you have guys all over the globe?"

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Why do you wanna know?"

The next bit of news wasn't gonna go down well. "Work might be sending me to London-"

"Fucking London?" he shouted, his leg bouncing constantly against the table. "Why the fuck are you going to London?"

"It's work, I might have to go," Erin shrugged, forcing herself into a sitting position. "Answer the question."

"Of course I have guys in London but that doesn't mean I'm happy about you going to the other side of the fucking world," Tyler replied, slamming a fist against the coffee table. "When would you be going?"

"I don't know yet man," she said, truthfully. "But I'll need their numbers if I do go-"

"Yeah that's no sweat," Tyler shrugged, reaching for his pants that he'd dropped onto the carpet.

"That's all I needed to know," Erin laughed, throwing her head back against the couch cushions. "You can go now."

"What?" Tyler looked taken aback: she wasn't one to cuddle afterwards but she wasn't one to chuck him out of the apartment either. Today he could tell she wasn't into it, not like her usual eager self. "You're kicking me out after I just gave you all of _that_?"

"I'm not kicking you out honey, I just have places to go," lie number one. "People to see," lie number two. "I don't even know if I'm going yet," lie number three (she'd already decided she wasn't going to rehab) "…so I'll definitely see you again soon before anything happens." And that was lie number four: if she needed to be in England as early as next week, she wouldn't be seeing Tyler again before that.

Tyler shrugged his disapproval but started moving towards the door anyway. "Fine," he was pissed off that he'd only got one round today. "Bye Erin."

She waved a dismissal and waited for the apartment door to click closed before heading back to the bedroom to find her cell phone. It's still on the unit next to her bed and Erin picked it up, exhaling literally all of the air from her lungs. Her fingers hover over the home button for long seconds before she decides to unlock it.

There's at least five people in her contact list that she could talk to right now: the top pick of which would offer her narcotics or something to settle her craving. She rubbed away sleepiness from her eyes, her gaze focussed on the screen until she came to the letter further down the alphabet that she needed, she kept all her contacts under surname.

"Jesus fuck," Erin cursed to herself as she thought about what she was about to agree to. It wasn't as though she had a choice in the matter though: she'd be out of a job if she didn't agree to it.

Her boss picked up when the phone had only been calling for a second. "I need to know more," she spoke first before Voight had the chance to.

"What do you need to know?"

She could almost hear the laughter coming through in his tone: _why the fuck did he find this funny?_ Erin realized he'd not told her many details about the job, he was sure to know more than he was letting on. "How long?"

There was a sigh from the other end of the call. "Initially, it's three months. Call it a trial period-"

" _Trial period._ Right," she mimicked, rolling her eyes because he couldn't see. "…and then what happens?"

"That depends on you," there he was again, laying the ball in her court. Or rather, making her feel that was the case when in fact she didn't have much choice in the matter. It was this, stay at work but on the other side of the world, or some rehabilitation centre where she'd be surrounded by people she didn't want to be. Junkies. Crack-heads. And she wasn't one of those.

Erin didn't say anything for a minute and Hank took it as a sign for him to continue. "Why are you calling me Erin?"

She trapped her tongue between her teeth, pulled it back. "I'll do it, okay?" she finally said. "I'll do it."

 **Please Review!**


	2. Flight

Detective Lindsay hated flying. To make her day even worse, she was stuck in economy class between a window and an overweight guy who had the most annoying snore. Stuck there for eight fucking hours, though it felt more like eighteen.

She was still trying to figure out why she'd agreed to this assignment in the first place and each step of her flight to get there made her regret the decision. Erin shifted position, her foot resting on the gap between the seat in front and the window, attempting to sleep. There was nothing to do for her time to pass quickly…

The sound from the cock pit woke her: they were approaching landing. Erin looked out of the window, she could have still been in America for all she knew; all she could see were buildings. A lot more green-ness though. She altered position to sit properly in the uncomfortable chair, continuing to stare out into the scene.

As the aircraft came to a sudden halt on ground, Erin still didn't move. There was no point in rushing to get off a packed flight, she could be last off for all she cared. The only thing she was thinking about was getting some air and hopefully a cigarette sometime soon. It wasn't anything compared to the rush she'd get from a hit, but landing in a new country set her back with somethings, including having a drug mule just around the corner.

Sure, Voight had sent her to the other side of the world to prove her worth on the job. That didn't mean she had to give up what she did in her personal life though, and Erin smiled at the thought of picking up a fix as soon as she dug out one of the numbers Tyler had given her. Which she'd definitely written somewhere, but couldn't exactly remember where…

Erin waited until the aisle of the airplane was free from holiday-makers, business men and families before she bothered to get off the plane. She finally stepped into the fresh air and breathed it in: it sure did feel like heaven after being stuck in what had felt like a vacuum for several hours.

It took her no time at all to retrieve the baggage she'd brought with her, her (old) boss having disclosed the fact she would probably be provided with most of what she required when she arrived. Somebody would be picking her up from the airport. Erin hadn't revelled at the news: _so she had, like, no time to herself at all? Fucking great._

Walking away from the luggage carousel, she followed the signs that pointed out the exit. To the left of that though, she spotted a concealed smoking area and her eyes darted towards it. She could keep her driver waiting for another five minutes, it wouldn't hurt. Erin pulled her suitcase over to the door and yanked it open with her free hand, a sudden gust of smoke hitting her in the face. Though she struggled to breathe for a hot second, it was strangely familiar and Erin realized that was because it was the familiar aroma now of her apartment.

Her _old_ apartment, she recalled. Apparently she didn't live there anymore.

Erin hadn't flown with any cigarettes on her either, a stupid mistake that made her curse at herself as she'd made her way through customs.

She spotted her target, a guy that looked a few years older than her, dressed in a three-piece suit that was now untucked at the front. Erin made her way over to him and leant against the railing. He didn't look at her to begin with, apparently too engrossed in his nicotine fix because he'd been on a long flight also.

Erin dropped the handle of her luggage and cleared her throat. Pushed her hair back out of her face. "Surely you're not gonna smoke all of those?" her head tilted towards the packet he held in his left hand.

The man's eyes shot towards her, a partial grin tugging up the side of his mouth. "I don't share my cigarettes with strangers," he smirked, his fingers fondling the packaging.

"Erin," she said, making conversation to get what she wanted.

" _Erin,_ " her company repeated, already lifting the lid from the packet. He pulled out a menthol, twisted it around in his fingers. "Mine's Dean." He paused, took a drag from his own and then offered the fresh one to her. "So you're not from around here," his accent was foreign to her, but obviously he was from around here. "What brings you to London?"

"Work," she didn't want to elaborate so focussed her attention on the cig. Taking the flame from his offering, Erin inhaled deep into her lungs before puffing out a cloud of her own smoke.

"Oh, so you're sticking around," Dean stated it rather than asking it, still staring at her. "Have you ever been here before?" he asked.

Erin shook her head, glancing at him now and again but the nicotine was still her main priority. Especially as she'd been away from a fix for at least half a day. "Never."

"…so you need somebody to show you around?" the guy raised his eyebrows suggestively, laughed, and then took a drag of his own. "What's a British guy gotta go to get your number?"

Erin scoffed to herself, unsure if he'd realized or just thought she was coughing. Looked like an amateur smoker, when really she was anything but. "I don't…have a cell phone-" a small lie. "What I mean is, I don't have a local number, I… I don't know what I'm doing yet." Only a half-lie: she still wasn't certain on what would happen with that.

"Oh," he believed her, not having reason to doubt. Dean reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket, pulling out a card. "Well this is mine," he pushed it into Erin's hand and studied it. Marketing and corporations, that's what he was into. She gave him a small smile, taking the business tag from him. "Hit me up when you're settled and we can go for a drink some time," after he'd spoken, her company picked up his own luggage and checked the time on his watch. He clearly had somewhere to be, and it had temporarily slipped Erin's mind that she did too.

"It was nice to meet you," he said in his sultry hot accent before waving and walking away.

"Yeah, and _you_ ," Erin said aloud to herself before finishing the cigarette and pushing it through into the ashtray provided. She looked at the business card for a moment before crumpling it into a ball and tossing it out of her sight. She had no intention of seeing the guy again. Back inside the airport, she found the signs again for the proper exit this time.

The terminal was still busy which didn't surprise her, she was in the capital so there were bound to be countless flights to and from. Lugging the suitcase at her side, she scanned the arrivals area quickly for a sign directing her to the right place. Eventually her eyes rested on a short round man at the end of the line of people, holding up a plaque with her name in the center in a regal font.

Erin studied him because he certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting. He was shorter than herself in height, dressed in shirt and waistcoat with a pair of round spectacles on the end of his nose. She continued to watch on as the man stood on tiptoes to see through the crowd of people rushing through the arrivals. Even when she approached, he remained scouting out the crowd, an attempt to find who he was looking for.

"That's me," she motioned to the sign and the man jumped back a step. Clearly he'd been engrossed in the crowd activity when she spoke and it startled him. Erin looked on as he composed his posture- back to the professional one he'd obviously been taught to do- adjusted his glasses and plastered on a smile.

"Oh! Miss Lindsay! Do forgive me," he spoke with an even stronger accent to her previous encounter and he stuck out a hand for her to shake. Erin took it, laughing to herself internally when she found his hands were the size of a child's. The man cleared his throat as she released the grip of his palm. "I am Robert Nicholson, aide to the Royal family," he said proudly, puffing out his chest before looking down at her attire. "This is all you have brought with you?"

Erin shrugged: she had indeed travelled light with only one suitcase and a holdall, but she could hardly contain the whole of her wardrobe into a travel bag. Some things she had come to England without, and he was making her regret it.

"Yes well never mind that," her driver dismissed his previous comment, leading her towards the outdoor of the terminal. He dropped the name plaque onto a nearby luggage trolley and took her suitcase from her grip. "I take it you have been given the briefing, that you know what you are here for?"

 _To babysit a Prince that's a screw up?_ Erin nodded, following in Robert's footfall as he approached the parking lot. She frowned as he walked right past it and into a smaller private bay which contained only one car. A blacked-out Bentley that looked like it belonged in a museum. It had kinda slipped her mind what she was actually here to do, still she remembered suddenly at the sight of the vehicle.

"As Royal Bodyguard," Erin replied, remembering the exact words Hank had used on their last phone call. She'd been sitting in the airport when he'd rang her, a gesture he thought would make her feel better about the situation. It didn't.

" _I'm proud of you for doing this, Erin-"_

" _Well it's not like I had much choice in the decision is it?"_

" _Don't be like that," he'd said, sighing down the phone so she could hear him. "You didn't have to take the job-"_

 _She'd laughed, almost cursed out at his audacity. "Really? With the alternative being going to rehab? I don't think so."_

 _He'd gone on to feed her with some 'it's for the best' and 'you're one of the best for this job' bullshit before eventually letting her speak again._

" _So, three months and then I can come home?" she'd remembered asking because it was burning her mind. At least, when she thought about it, it wasn't a long period of time._

" _That's what I said," her boss had answered. "Think about how good it'll look on your resume," he'd joked. "Royal Bodyguard, imagine."_

Eventually she'd hung up because she couldn't be bothered for the crap he was drabbling on about. There was one thing she'd listened to though and that was the time period: three months and then she was back on that plane to Chicago. The thought already excited her. Back _home_ to people like Tyler. Like the one who she couldn't remember the name of but he'd told her she was a really good f-

"I have to be honest with you Miss Lindsay," her driver had already lifted her luggage out of sight and into the trunk of the car. As he spoke, Robert was looking at her up and down: the skinny jeans and flannel shirt she'd chosen to travel in. The comfiest pair of Converse she owned and shades to hide her face from the world. She'd also packed the trusty leather- Erin knew the change in weather would affect her- but didn't need it. She narrowed her eyes at him as he continued to talk, though stopped checking out her appearance when she scowled.

"I didn't expect the new bodyguard to be so…" Robert struggled to find the words to finish his sentence. _Slim? Petite? A woman?_ The look on Erin's face told him to know better than to finish that sentence and instead he ushered her into the back of the vehicle.

"Looks can be deceiving Mr Nicholson," she smirked before Robert closed the door and moved to the front of the car. "I'm a good cop."

"Call me Robert please," the man said, dismissing her formal address of him. "Cop, huh? Then I guess we have nothing to worry about," he let out a small laugh and started the engine. Erin watched on from the back as he began to drive away from the airport.

"Can I ask you something?" around two minutes later, Robert interrupted the silence. Silence that Erin had really badly wanted. Her head rested against the window as he continued to drive. Happy he couldn't see, Erin rolled her eyes and waited for him to ask whatever he wanted to know. "What made you apply for this job?"

 _My boss thinks I'm a fucking junkie and was gonna send me to rehab so it was either this or that. What would you have done?_ Erin fought not to laugh as several thoughts swam around her mind, Robert would probably be mortified if she led the conversation with that. She'd have to exaggerate the truth. "My boss put me forward for it, I…I needed a change of workplace."

There was a chuckle from the driver's seat. "A change of workplace? Half way across the world?"

Erin bit her lower lip: yup, she didn't need reminding of that. "I know," she said.

"I guess if you were chosen for this, then you must be what they're looking for. You're familiar with Royal Family?"

She thumped her head slightly against the window, all she required was five minutes peace. But that was something she wasn't going to get. Though Hank had given her the down-low on what to expect when she got here, the only research she'd done on the members of the family was a quick scan of online articles. Which she'd done in the airport when she was waiting on her flight. Talk about last minute studying.

"Of course," she lied. Robert was bound to be expecting her to reel off each member by name, status etc. The reality was she was struggling to remember who was who. Better to stumble on that subject _now_ rather than when she was surrounded by them.

She knew there were two brothers. _James and William?_ The Queen's two grandsons. And the first of which Hank had mentioned she would be working primarily to see that his reputation didn't destroy their family image in the media. They lived in the palace along with their father. _Patrick?_ Prince Patrick sounded familiar. And obviously his parents were Queen Katherine and Prince Henry, those were the ones she had definitely heard of. The media in her own hometown were certainly obsessed with them; printing images and words about them for every little thing they did.

Her silence was cause enough for Robert to answer his own question, so he started to talk about them. Erin stared out of the window, leaning against the cool glass, as he talked non-stop for what felt like hours. Robert continued to talk about extended members of the Halstead royals before they came to a sudden halt. He looked at her for a moment through the rear view mirror before turning around in his seat.

"The palace is right around the corner," he said, nodding as he spoke. "There are a few protocol procedures we have to go through before you meet everybody." Turning to face the front again, Robert drove slowly.

Her attention was back to the world outside the Bentley. The road they drove on was surrounded by tall and elegant buildings, ones of a much older and grander stature than the ones back in Chicago. She'd only seen the likes of which in movies but now they were in front of her. Erin's mouth fell open unconsciously as she took in the scene that surrounded the palace.

She had never been the type of person to take in nature and its surroundings, but even the biggest cynic would struggle to not call the area picturesque.

 _Jesus_ she thought _just one of those bricks is probably worth more than me_.

Erin looked on as Robert drove off road, pulling next to the large iron gates that prevented people from getting onto the palace grounds. He rolled down the window partly and keyed in a code which caused the gateway to open up. Then he continued along the gravelled ground around the corner.

"Jesus shit," Erin cursed to herself at the sight in front of her. The Halstead palace was like nothing she'd ever witnessed before. She couldn't see where the building ended or where it began. The wrought iron gates had led them into a secluded sheltered area where more fancy cars were parked. Erin got out of the car after Robert had and forced her jaw back up to her palette.

"Did you say something?" Robert turned towards her, questioningly.

"Nothing," the word was quiet so Erin cleared her throat. She looked up at the fort in front of her, gulped. "This is where they live?"

The man chuckled then offered her a friendly smile. "It is indeed. Welcome to the Halstead castle. This way, if you will," Robert had already unpacked her belongings and gestured towards a door to the side.

As they approached the door, Erin realized how eerily quiet it was. As they'd driven in, there were numerous tourists and commuters swarming the front gates. Taking photos of the building, watching the guards. Now they were out of sight, there was no longer any noise. She followed behind Robert as he pushed open a heavy door, leading them inside.

He was met by somebody else, though Erin didn't get a good look at first. They were just directed into a small room where Robert dropped her case onto the plush carpet and coughed. Even _that_ was quiet. The other man- who Robert had followed- now put his attention onto Erin.

"Passport and identification please."

His tone was neutral but the stony look on his face told Erin she should do as he asked. She dug deep into her holdall to get what he wanted and pushed it into his open palm. The new guy scanned her face for resemblance to the photograph, seeming satisfied with what she had handed over. Erin reached for her suitcase but quickly retreated to where she stood as he pulled a face.

"Mobile phone please."

Erin frowned: _why could he possibly need her phone?_ Perhaps she would be given an international Sim, so she could contact those she was about to work with. Instead, he took the phone from her grasp and put it in his own pocket.

"I-" her mouth clamped shut as Robert touched her arm.

"You'll get it back," he reassured. "They just need to run it through for debugging and a reset."

"Reset?" she scoffed. "Why do you need to reset my phone?"

Instead of answering her question, the taller of the two men still wanted more from her. "Your weapon?"

Erin looked towards Robert, to see if he was on her side. Her glock went everywhere with her, she couldn't just hand it over without knowing why. "I don't have one."

The other man clearly didn't believe her. In one swift movement, he was by her suitcase and had broken off the lock.

"Hey!" she protested, this was _her_ private stuff and she'd only just met this dude. "Alright! I'll get it out!" Erin opened the case herself and felt around for her weapon. Perhaps this was the first event telling her how serious this job was about to be. Her fingers found the familiar shape of her Smith and Wesson 5946 and she reluctantly gave it over. "What now? You need to strip search me?" her eyes darted towards the guy she still hadn't been introduced to, throwing her hands up in defeat.

"Miss Lindsay, this is for your own safety. This is royal protocol," Robert attempted to keep the tranquil in the scene and stood between Erin and the other man.

 _Yeah, well, your "royal protocol" sucks_ she felt like saying, although didn't because now the other man looked pissed. His brow was incessantly crinkled and he kept shaking his head. Erin watched as he moved to the other side of the room, opened and closed a few rustling packets before turning back towards them.

Erin, being a Detective, recognized what he was handling. She couldn't help the little scoff that escaped her lips. "A drug test? Really? When you guys were the ones who wanted me for this job?"

She watched as Robert pulled a concerned face and turned to face the other man, whisper something into his ear that she failed to hear before Mr Crinkled Brow shrugged and put down whatever he was holding.

Robert scratched his head. "This is Matteo. Believe it or not, he's paid to do this for every single guest we get through the doors of the palace. It's just-"

"Protocol. _Right,_ " Erin finished his sentence, knowing what he was going to say. Still, there was something about Matteo that she didn't like. She hoped she wouldn't have to see much more of him.

Robert seemed to sense her feeling and walked towards the door again so she followed suit, not before a final stare-off with Matteo or picking up her luggage.

"I'll show you to your quarters," Robert smiled, changing the conversation entirely so not to keep the tension high. He disappeared for a moment before returning with a golden luggage carrier onto which he heaved her suitcase.

Erin gulped. The thought hadn't crossed her mind that she would _actually_ be living inside the palace. She'd had visions of being taken to and from work in a car like the Bentley she'd been driven in from the airport. Not living under the same roof as the royals. She didn't know how she felt about it.

A strange drowsiness came over her as she followed Robert towards an elevator. In that moment, she found herself thinking of the numbers Tyler had provided her with to get her fix. _How was she supposed to get out and find those guys now?_ Something told her that Robert didn't plan on leaving her alone any time soon.

"…and this will be your living space Miss," Robert had pulled free a set of keys from a suit pocket and opened a large double door that opened onto what looked like an apartment. Erin followed him over the threshold inside, somewhat guilty that she'd cursed out the place.

It was like a separate apartment, with a hallway leading off to several rooms. The carpet was so thick and spongy yet Erin still found herself treading lightly as though she didn't want to leave a mark. She dropped her holdall onto the carpet and took it upon herself to look around. _If she was gonna be living here, she may as well familiarize herself with it._

Leaving Robert in the hallway, Erin walked first into the bedroom and gawped. The room alone was the size of her apartment back in Chicago: complete with a rather large closet and a bed that was definitely bigger than the one she was used to sleeping in.

"Okay," she nodded, backtracking from the room. Erin had to admit that her first impression was a good one, even though it wasn't what she wanted initially. She went into the bathroom next: a bathtub big enough to fit four people and a walk-through shower that she was dying to test out already.

"You will have full access to the palace kitchens," Robert was talking from the hallway and she sauntered back to meet him. "They're a rather _family orientated_ bunch, the Halstead's," he said, laughing. "They often eat together which is why the kitchens are communal."

His plural use of "kitchens" reminded Erin of where she was.

"And you have a balcony over here," Robert was already leading the way to the other end of the closed-off apartment and when he reached the glass doors he flung them open to reveal Erin's private outside space. "Here are your keys," Robert checked his watch. "You have an hour and 30 minutes, the royals are otherwise engaged and won't be back until after 5 o'clock. I'll come back for you then, and we can get the introductions underway."

Erin was beginning to like the short man but she shook herself free from those thoughts, thinking about how annoying he'd been on their car journey. She nodded, an informal sign of a sort of 'thank you' before watching as he waved and walked out of her space, closing the door behind him.

Back in the bedroom, Erin threw herself against the comforter. No cell phone to call people, no recreational pills or powder to pass her time away. Instead, she threw open her suitcase but the contents remained where they were because she didn't feel like unpacking. At least she could get air from the balcony. Erin reached her private veranda and stared into the distance.

 _I should have asked for two cigarettes_ she thought, remembering her encounter with Dean at the airport. Maybe she should have kept his cell number after all but then…she didn't have anything to call him on.

That was fucking _annoying_. Erin had come here to look after a Prince, not to be looked after herself. Her whole life was practically on that cell phone. Matteo better give it back soon or-

All too quickly, there was a knock again on her apartment door. She struggled to understand how an hour had passed so fast when all she'd done was stare at an untidy suitcase and look at the view from her tower. She hadn't even changed….

"I'll be out in a second," Erin had to make it look as though she'd at least made some progress. She found a fresh pair of jeans and a shirt, which made her look half presentable. She didn't have time to root through the contents of her case for her wash or cosmetics bag so instead ran her fingers through her curls and hoped for the best. She plastered on an elaborate grin as she swung open the door.

"Oh!" Robert took a step back, taking in her appearance. He didn't seem disappointed, which was something. "The Queen and Prince Henry are still otherwise engaged," he confessed. "But I think Patrick and his sons are home. You should come and meet them," he laughed. "…seeing as they're probably whom you'll be spending the most time with."

Erin shrugged off his comments, she would rather the awkward meet and greet was over and done with already. She was contemplating asking if she could leave to meet one of Tyler's 'friends': the smallest dose of _anything_ at this point would make her feel a million times better.

She followed Robert along the longest of hallways, all decorated in portraits and colored in red and gold. Erin got to see a still image of the family before she saw them in the flesh: a poised photograph of the three generations and she frowned at the extra persons who she had no idea of. Erin didn't have time to study it though as their aide rushed in front of her, twisting and turning around numerous corridors.

"Patrick's headquarters," Robert came to a sudden halt in front of a door that resembled the front of her own new living space, but rather larger. Both in size and décor. Erin looked on as he brought a hand to the knocker and let it drop against the wood, resulting in a loud thud.

The closest she'd ever been to Royalty had been… _yeah right_ she reflected _I've never been this close to royalty. I don't belong in this environment, what the shit am I doing here?_ Erin took a step backwards as she anticipated the opening of the door. Not a minute after Robert had knocked, the door swung open to reveal who she knew was Prince Patrick, dressed rather in a suit than the robes she'd been expecting.

"Your Highness," Robert bowed in front of the man. "This is Erin Lindsay. The bodyguard hired for-"

"For my son," the Prince finished his aide's sentence. An action that made Erin like him already.

She looked on at her new company. Prince Patrick was definitely pushing 50- she knew that from the tabloids- but had a friendly face with a balding patch in the middle of his head. He stepped out of the shadow of the door to greet her, taking one of her hands in both of his.

Erin didn't know the proper etiquette for greeting a Royal but it definitely wasn't opening and closing your mouth like a fish, which is what she currently resembled. She'd been overcome with how _normal_ the Prince seemed to be.

Patrick stepped forward and closed the door behind him, an act that made it seem as though he didn't want Erin to see into his private area of the palace. "Erin," he repeated her name in a smooth British accent. "…and what a pleasure it is to meet you." He motioned to the long corridor to the left of his sleeping quarters. "Though I'm afraid it's not me who will be enjoying the majority of your company. If you'll come this way…" Patrick trailed off as he led them in the direction of his sons' apartments.

As they stopped around the corner in front of another door (again similar to Prince Patrick's but not quite as extravagant) the Prince cleared his throat.

"You will meet my eldest son later," he said, scratching his head. "This is Jay's bedroom."

Erin frowned. "Jay?"

Patrick pulled a face. "Ahh, yes. James. Except he hates it when I refer to him by his full name. So it's got to be Jay or nothing. He's a little…how should I put it-"

Robert stood on tip-toe to Erin's level. " _Messy. Chaotic. Drunk._ Take your pick," he whispered, not loud enough for the Prince to hear but enough to make him frown and wonder what was being said. Erin stifled a laugh.

"Yes. Well," Patrick continued. "You can see for yourself," he said as he rapped a knuckle against the door. "Jay?"

There was no answer so he tried again. Nobody came to the door, but there was definitely noise from inside. After another few attempts at knocking, Erin could sense Patrick losing his patience. Something she didn't possess a lot of either.

"Forgive me," Patrick turned towards her for a second before refocusing on the door. "JAY!"

Whatever was happening inside the apartment turned to silence. Then Erin heard a scream, a bang and a muffled _"Bollocks. I'm coming!_ " A few footsteps seemed to get closer before they stopped and she heard the workings of a keychain being undone.

Patrick moved away from the door, seeming to brace himself with what was on the other side. The door swung open suddenly and Erin looked on at the younger Prince.

He stood, barefoot, his jeans lose fitted and his hair on end. One of his arms hung around a blonde petite girl, who stood awkwardly, wiping smeared pink lipstick away from her face. _Clearly_ they'd interrupted something and that was apparent from the look on Jay's face. His emotion was an obvious scowl and he leaned against the doorframe, his gaze flitting between the two faces he did know and the one he wasn't familiar with. "Yeah?"

"James," Patrick slipped up on the name he used for his son, a trait Erin would come to realize that he did often when he was pissed at his younger offspring. "This is Erin, your…new bodyguard."

The youngest Prince laughed loudly, doing nothing to disguise it. Evidently thinking his father was lying, he chewed on the inside of his cheek in a bid to stop chuckling. Eventually his eyes rested on the Detective, looking from her feet up to her face in ascending height. His eyes narrowed as Erin looked back at him. "You?" he pointed aimlessly towards her. "Thanks for the offer and everything, but I don't think I need a bodyguard-"

"Jay," his father interrupted him. "Enough."

Patrick clearly knew his son better than the other two and it was only then Erin realized that Jay was drunk. Or high. She'd been there before herself, so it wasn't difficult to determine. There was something preventing him from standing still, a side effect Erin found was common with most of the recreational supplements she used herself.

Jay rolled his eyes evidently, not subtly so everybody could see and Erin suddenly felt awkward. He definitely wasn't a young Prince like she had initially expected: he was even a year older than her. And he'd made his feelings apparent about the job she was here to do.

"Are we done here?" Jay spoke again, the majority of his attention on the blonde beneath his arm. "I think we are," he answered his own question, blew a breath into the air then retreated into his own apartment.

Erin was too stunned to say anything, her eyes flitting between the Prince and Robert. So apparently Hank had not been kidding when he'd said she needed to prove herself. She was almost never rendered speechless but the Prince's reaction was not one she'd expected.

Through the awkward silence, those on Erin's side of the door heard the sudden heated conversation on the other side. Before they could say anything else, the door to Jay's apartment flew open and the blonde from before- now armed with heels in her hand- ran from inside and looked in both directions, frantically.

"Your son is a bastard!" she shouted, directing it at Patrick.

The elder Prince muttered something under his breath: something that Erin didn't hear but what sounded strangely like _"tell me something I don't know."_ The three of them watched as the girl ran across the hallway and down the flight of stairs that would take her back to the outside world.

Jay reappeared in the gap where she'd left the door open, his face the picture of rage. "This is all your fault," he directed this to his father. "…and I don't need babysitting," directed to Erin. "Go away," directed to nobody in particular but then he slammed the door with so much force that Erin jumped back.

Patrick held his head in his hands for a moment before he looked at Erin sympathetically. "This needs to stop," he shook his head. "I don't know what's going on. He's not my son anymore. He's ruining the family's reputation. I'm losing hope for him." He turned away from Jay's apartment, ushering Erin and Robert along with him. "We'll try again tomorrow, leave him to stew. Robert, show Miss Lindsay back to her quarters. I shall call for you in the morning."

Erin nodded, followed Robert and, when back in her own space, crashed face down onto the bed. She had no phone so she couldn't calm her own situation with pills. She hadn't brought any alcohol or supplies with her, thinking she wouldn't need them. The only option really was to go to sleep.

As she tossed and turned beneath the fluffy comforter, the real problem with the younger Prince was evident in her mind.

She got the impression that nobody had ever stood up to him, put him back in his place when he needed it.

And that's exactly what she planned to do.

 **Please Review!**


	3. Breakfast

She woke up the next morning with a thumping headache. Though the curtains in her new quarters did a pretty good job at keeping out the sunlight, Erin had slept fitfully. Whether it was because she was in a new environment or she didn't have her usual fix before bed, she wasn't sure. Whatever it was though, she needed to get rid of the throbbing between her temples. And fast.

Swinging her legs from the bed, she padded along to her bathroom and switched on the light. Erin couldn't deny that the bed had offered comfort, but it would take her a while to get used to. Not being in her own bedroom and around her own stuff was annoying. She didn't have a dealer or anything around the corner anymore. Something told her she would have to be imaginative.

She looked at the sight of herself in the mirror above the faucet. Her lack of tending to her appearance meant her skin looked gaunt and she had constant panda eyes. Something that didn't usually bother her, but somehow today it did. Though she'd done little unpacking, Erin located the minute amount of products she'd brought to the country with her and washed her face. Scrubbed until her skin felt raw, leaving her with bright red patches. Erin thought nothing of it though: in her head, being a Bodyguard would mean wearing dark clothes and probably sunglasses. She could always disguise herself through accessories.

After she'd showered and dressed- in the first clothes she'd come across, a flannel and black jeans- Erin scanned the room. Robert had told her yesterday that she would be called for when she was needed. There was no clock in her bedroom yet and she still hadn't retrieved her cell phone so she had no clue as to what time of day it was. When she opened the curtains, it was raining. _So at least the things she'd read up about British weather seemed to be accurate._ The constant stream of raindrops down the window pane prevented her from seeing anything else.

Erin made it over to the door of her quarters and she swung it open. The corridor was quiet, although she wasn't quite sure what she'd been expecting. As she went to step over the doorframe, the bottom of her foot collided with something.

"Ow, fuck!" she cussed, not quite under her breath and looked down. Somebody had returned her cell phone and there was also an envelope on the floor bearing her name. She picked up her cell in one swift move and pressed the Home button, her brow crinkling as it came into life.

It certainly _looked_ like her cell phone but as she looked through the menu, it certainly wasn't. The background wasn't a picture of her team any longer, it was back to factory settings. She no longer needed her passcode. And, as she found the icon for her phonebook, her jaw dropped in horror as she realized more than half of the contacts were no longer there. There was certainly no Tyler, or any of his friends. Upon closer inspection she discovered new additions had been made though: there was a cell number for Robert, another for the prick Matteo that she'd been introduced to rudely yesterday.

"Shit," Erin raised a palm to her head, half to deal with the pain and half to deal with what she'd just discovered. _If she couldn't find where she'd written the numbers for Tony's guys then she had no hope in hell of getting what she wanted._ She was kinda pissed that her weapon hadn't been returned either. Pushing her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, Erin set out along the hallway and when she caught sight of the rather large stairway taking her down to the lower level, she clambered down in search of …food? Robert? Something.

The lower floor of the castle was a maze of corridors and hallways, each containing about twenty different doors. She could have been in search for hours if she hadn't picked up the scent of food cooking from along to the right. Erin followed the trail until she found what could only be the palace kitchens: three green doors in a row with small glass windows just low enough for her to stand on toes and see inside.

She was just able to see the numerous cooks that were obviously employed to organize the dinners. They rushed from one end of the kitchen to the other and she couldn't deny that whatever they were preparing smelt amazing. If only she could get in….for breakfast or some sort of remedy for her headache…

"Who are you?" A voice from behind her made her jump. Erin spun quickly to find a red head, dressed in a button-up shirt and faded jeans. There was something familiar about his appearance and it took her a second to figure out it was because she'd already met his father. And his brother.

She stood ogling at Prince William for a few moments. He was obviously the older sibling, she could tell that from the balding patch that already existed in the middle of his head. The older royal grinned at her though, at least a friendlier offering than she'd received from his brother. Though he'd asked his question abruptly, he now grinned at her. Flashing a set of perfectly white teeth.

"I'm…" she gulped, realizing this was the first time their paths had crossed. _How the fuck was she supposed to address him? Cause she definitely didn't wanna curtsey._ Erin stuck out her hand, if she was about to be living in the same place as the guy, it was better to get off to a good start. "I'm-"

"I'm joking, I know who you are." Prince William stepped forward, leaned against one of the kitchen's doors. "You're the new Bodyguard, right?" He whistled, looking down at her. "Not what I was expecting, I have to say," a laugh, to signal his humorous manner. "It's Ms Lindsay, yes?"

"Erin," she spluttered, pissed at herself for stalling. She was never like this when she met somebody new, perhaps the inhabitants of the palace intimidated her more than she thought. "You don't know where I'd find an Advil, do you?"

The Prince looked at her as though she'd spoken a different language. "…and what the bloody hell is an _Advil_ when it's at home?" His eyes widened and a hand flew to his mouth after he'd spoken, the way he'd probably have spoken to a good friend. "I'm sorry," he laughed again. "What is this _Advil_ you speak of?"

Erin stopped herself from laughing: London sometimes felt like another planet. And she'd _only_ just arrived. "Um, for headaches. Migraines. You know…"

"Oh I see," each sentence he spoke made him sound fancier than the last. Again, something Erin would have to get used to. "It's called paracetamol over here. And I'm afraid you won't find it in there," he gestured towards the kitchen. "Follow me, I'll show you where you'll get some."

Erin nodded, beginning to walk a step behind the Prince's footfall. After a couple of minutes, William slowed his pace to stay in line with her.

"It's Will by the way," he charmed. "We won't have any of this formal business, not if you're going to be living with us. Save that for the public eye," he advised. "I take it you've already met my little brother?"

"You could say that," Erin scoffed, shrugging. If she was honest, she couldn't give a fuck if Jay liked her or not, she was here to do a job. So watching out for him would be what she was paid to do, whether he liked it or he didn't.

She didn't say anything more and the older Prince laughed. "Jay's a shit sometimes," he didn't care about cursing this time and it sort of shocked her: apparently the Royals led different lives inside and outside the palace, she was beginning to realize that. "But he has been out of control lately. Do you read the papers a lot?"

He certainly wanted to know a lot about her. Erin shook her head, being honest. She _never_ made time for the tabloids, only reading up on what she needed to know for cases or whatever. She decided against telling Prince William that she'd only read up about his family on her way over here. Though the majority of her being didn't want to be here, she could do without giving off a bad impression.

"The latest pictures of him that were printed show him in a k-hole, his jaw hanging off to the side, his eyes bulging from his head and his arms around two young women in their underwear and they're all walking out of a strip club." Will shook his head, showing his disapproval. "I get it, kinda, we've all gotta be young once but sometimes I think he doesn't remember who he is. There's bound to be media scouting him out everywhere, he should know better."

Erin made a mental note in her mind to attempt to find the pictures later, she kinda wanted to see them. "Oh," she too feigned his disapproval, but secretly thought about what it would be like to have her own drugs right now. Surely her headache would be non-existent.

"…plus one of those girls was a well-known socialite whose parents are rather pretentious," Will continued to talk as they rounded a couple of corners and down another flight of stairs. Erin had completely lost track of where they were know, finding herself wondering just how many floors there were in the establishment. "Her father threatened to take legal action about what he thought Jay had done to his daughter, which led to Jay and my father having the biggest fallout I've seen since…" William looked sad for a moment and his gaze lingered on the floor. "Yes, well we don't have to talk about that," he suddenly composed himself, walking ahead again until he reached a wooden door.

Erin's eyes found the sign that was now in front of her. _Medic._

Her eyes widened. "You have a doctor in the palace?" _Was she really shocked though? This family seemed to have everything, from what she had seen already._

The Prince laughed again, something he had done a lot since their meeting not even an hour ago. "Yes. When Jay and I were younger, our father wanted to keep us out of the media's eye for the most part of our childhood as he could. We have everything we needed in here," he shrugged. He tapped his knuckles against the door and, when there was no answer, pushed it open to reveal a medical room.

Erin followed him inside, standing just at the doorway as she watched him searching through several cabinets.

"I never can remember what is kept where," the Prince spoke half to himself, half to Erin as he opened and closed drawers, pulling out several packets to check what they contained. "Ah, I think this is what you're looking for," he drew out a layer of tablets and Erin caught sight of them right away. It wasn't usually the type of drug she was drawn to, but she was prepared to take one or two to shake off her bad headache. Will pressed two free from the cellophane into her palm then returned the painkillers to the cabinet. Then he walked to the opposite side of the room, where a water dispenser stood. He took a biodegradable cup and filled it with cool water before giving that to her too.

"Better?" William asked and watched as she nodded.

"Better," she nodded, draining the cup free from liquid. The older Prince was growing on her- ten minutes with him and he hadn't managed to annoy her yet- but she knew he _wasn't_ the one she was getting paid to spend time with.

"So," Will folded his arms and leaned casually against the medical counter. "Are you going to enlighten me as to why my family chose an American to look after my brother? They do things differently over there or something?" he laughed.

She shrugged at first- _why had they hired an American?-_ she couldn't answer that. "I don't know," because she didn't.

"I see," he nodded. "I guess I should leave you to do your _job_ then," Will sighed and moved to exit the room so she took it upon herself to follow. "I have to go and meet my fiancée anyway-"

"Oh," his comment startled her, not only half because he was being so open and they'd only just met. "You're getting married?" Not that she cared at all, but she continued on the conversation as she shadowed him along the corridor.

"I'm rather surprised my father didn't mention it," the Prince chuckled, his upper body shaking with laughter. "It's all he ever wants to talk about, most of the time. I think he's somewhat keen to get rid of me."

Erin couldn't tell if he was joking. "Oh?" Her reaction this time was more surprising. "What do you mean _get rid of you?_ "

The elder Prince halted his position and turned towards her. "When we get married, a part of Father's gift to us is a section of the palace of our own. The one I plan on moving into is just to the left of the palace grounds," he told her. "It's a lot more private, meaning my wife and I will have more of our own space."

"Right," Erin replied. She was learning more about royal protocol from Prince William than she'd learned from any of the men last night. "When do you get married?" she asked, suddenly inquisitive.

"Right before Christmas," he spoke again, resuming their fast paced walk along the hallway. "December 20th."

"That's soon," Erin said, realizing she was stating the obvious. She cringed at her response: she was accustomed to talking about serious things with men, the last guy she had an in-depth conversation with was probably an interrogation of a suspect.

"You're telling me," he laughed again. Obviously the more talkative, down-to-earth, conversational sibling of the two. He came to a halt outside- Erin realized- the kitchens again. Without her being conscious of it, they'd apparently walked in a big circle and ended back where they'd started. "Well it was a pleasure to meet you Erin," he stuck out a hand, an over-elaborate grin on his face. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you again sometime soon."

"And you," she nodded, surprising herself by how much she meant it.

She waited for a minute, watching as he retreated further in the opposite direction away from her before making her way back to where her bedroom was. Erin hadn't given much thought as to how her day was about to go down but when she reached the door to her chambers, Robert was there waiting for her.

When he heard the footsteps, he looked up. "Where have you been? I've been calling for you," he frowned, looking behind her to try and get an idea as to where she'd come from.

"I…" _why the fuck was she stuttering?_ "I needed… I went to the kitchens for something to eat-"

"No need to do that," he interrupted, his head tilting a little to the left. "They want you to join them for breakfast. Follow me," Robert extended a hand in front of him and immediately started walking briskly, meaning she struggled to keep up with his stride. He led her in the opposite direction to where she'd come from, muttering to himself along the way.

"How did you sleep?" he asked her as they continued the corridor.

"Well," she fibbed, recalling how the hours had ticked by as she'd tossed and turned and longed for her own bedroom.

The look on her face told him different and he tsked, as if to call her out for lying. "To be expected," he said, offering a sense of sympathy. "It was your first night in the palace, it will take some getting used to," he added. "I only ask because Patrick asked me to. If there's anything he can do to ease your stay-"

 _Ease her stay?_ It made her sound as though she was on vacation. _Anything to ease her stay? How about letting her get the fuck outta here?_

She shook her head, thinking back to his previous statement. "When you said _'they'_ want me to join them for breakfast you mean…"

"Oh," a smirk worked its way across Robert's face. "There'll be the Princes- minus William I think because he'll be with his betrothed-… breakfast is usually a real family affair so I'd expect Queen Katherine and Prince Henry will be there too."

Erin gulped. _The freaking Queen?!_ She unconsciously found herself trying to smooth the creases out of the flannel she was sporting; Robert could at _least_ have given her fair warning she was about to sit down for food with the Queen of the freaking country.

Robert again sensed her apprehension. "Relax," he seemed to find the situation funny. "They're a lot more grounded than you would expect a Royal family to be," he promised. "In here," the next minute, Robert had pushed open a rather large red door that led into what looked like a drawing room.

Erin had to subtly bring a hand to her face to prevent her jaw from dropping. The room that was set out for breakfast was even more exquisite than any rooms in the palace she'd seen so far. Her eyes rose to the ceiling that was kitted out with five or more golden chandeliers, dangling from above her causing several shades of light to glimmer around the room. As she dropped her gaze, she noticed the rest of the furniture was the same shade of gold as what was above her: a ginormous table stood centre stage surrounded by at least 20 chairs.

Three of them were already occupied and Erin got a closer look at the occupants as she followed in Robert's footfall to the centre of the room. There was only one of them that she'd met before. Simultaneously, they turned to face her when they heard the door bang closed.

"Erin," Prince Patrick rose from where he was seated to greet her. "Please, sit."

She shuffled to the vacant seat next to him and collapsed into it, not even gracefully. Erin looked at the other two opposite her: they were both younger than she'd expected. Prince Henry was a replica of the son she sat next to, only with a few more wrinkles. He was dressed in a pale shirt- from what she could see- and flashed a set of perfectly white teeth as he looked upon her.

"Ahh," he nodded, his gaze flitting between his new company and his wife. "You must be Erin, I've had the pleasure of hearing about you from my son. Please, help yourself," his hand rose to point at the other side of the table, laden down with more types of bread than Erin had thought possible. The sweet smell of morning condiments already filled her nostrils. Before she moved though, she offered a polite hello back before her attention turned to the other woman in the room.

"Erin," Queen Katherine spoke before Erin got the chance to. "It's nice to meet you, I'm sure you'll prove worthy of the reason you are now in our employment," she chuckled, a throaty laugh that sent a shiver up Erin's spine. "We don't usually invite our employees to breakfast," the Queen continued, pulling at one of the curls that had escaped away from her perm. She was dressed in a lemon colored robe, complete with a light shawl and stupidly long earrings. "...yet I figured you will be spending a lot of time with my grandson so Henry and I, we wanted to meet you. But enough with the pleasantries, you must be hungry."

A cold sweat had broken out on Erin's back and she figured it was definitely a combination of her having fix withdrawal, meeting the _actual_ Queen and being pretty hungry as well as thirsty. "I….thank you," she shuffled to her feet again to survey what was on offer to eat. Only when she reached the full plates did she realize she didn't actually have a clue _what_ half of these pastries were: clearly some British delicacy that she'd never heard of. Erin was pretty fucking hungry though and piled her own dish with various foods that looked edible. Then she made her way back to her chair and sat, cringing at the noise she made when she pulled the legs of it closer to the table.

"What is this?" Erin picked up one of the doughs on her plate, something that resembled a griddle cake but looked unusual. She was suddenly aware of sounding like an uncultured American but so _fuck._ She needed to know what the hell she was about to put in her mouth. "I've never-"

"That's a fucking crumpet, even an idiot knows that," they hadn't noticed the door slam again and a new voice joining the conversation. The four of them looked towards the entrance as the younger Prince sauntered towards them without a care in the world.

He walked towards them, laughing, and Erin gulped. Jay was dressed in grey jeans and a crumpled shirt that looked as though it belonged in the washer. He was bare foot and his hair stood on end, as though he'd just ten seconds ago rolled free from bed.

Erin cursed internally as she felt her cheeks flush scarlet. Something that made her pissed about herself: not being able to prevent the change of color in her face when she felt embarrassment. She lowered her gaze to her feet.

"Jay!" Patrick shouted across the room and Erin got the impression he wanted to curse out on his son but not in the presence of his parents. Or her. "Don't be so rude." He shook his head as his younger son sat to the right of his grandfather and immediately reached for a piece of toast. "Nice of you to grace us with your presence."

" _Nice of you to grace us with your presence,_ " Jay mimicked. "What am I, on a timer? I needed sleep," he laughed, as if reminding himself what he'd been up to the night before. But not sharing the joke with the rest of his company. He tore off a corner of his buttered toast and swallowed it, before slurping a mouthful of fresh orange pulp to wash it down. "That," he pointed his index finger to what Erin held. "is a crumpet. Good shit, if you put butter on it."

"You're always late to breakfast nowadays James," Katherine cut in, referring to her grandson by his fuller address. "…and I do wish you wouldn't speak to Erin that way, you are going to be spending a lot of time together after all," her voice was soft but Erin could sense the underlying tone of it: the way she phrased things made you want to listen.

"Not if I can help it," Jay said, under his breath. Erin heard him anyway and rolled her eyes, though still held her gaze low not to look rude in front of the older Royals. "I already told you I don't need a babysitter."

"And you're not going to get one," his grandfather had an input to the conversation, his hand resting on Jay's forearm. "But your father hired Erin for a reason and your grandmother and I agree. You can't keep on living this way, it is tarnishing our reputation. You think we want to see images of you printed in the press, emerging from a lap dancing club not knowing where you are because you're out of your mind on illegal substances?"

"Or arriving to a conference and slurring your words so nobody can understand what you're talking about?" Katherine spoke again, making her opinion known, the same as her husband's. "This is not good, James."

Jay rolled his eyes, his attention remaining on his breakfast. "Can't I eat my breakfast without the lecture?" he growled, a stray piece of bread flying onto the brass table. "It's not up to you _what_ I do in my own time," he said, standing his ground on his own opinion. "You're trying to tell me Dad has been the angel child all of his life? That's _bollocks_."

"Jay!" his father shouted again, almost slamming an open palm down onto the table.

His son ignored him, draining the last of his orange and looking upon Erin. "And I supposed you're getting paid a huge sum to watch over me, right? What part of America did you come from?"

"Chicago," Erin coughed, clearing her throat. She'd been so intent on listening to the conversation taking place that she didn't think her input was necessary yet. She'd been crunching on a piece of the crumpet- surprisingly good. "I worked for the Chicago Police Department-"

"Oh yeah?" he asked with raised eyebrows so Erin _thought_ he was actually interested. "I suppose they must be giving you pretty perks if they made you move across country to look after _me_."

"Actually that's none of your business," Erin surprised herself with the words, though knew he deserved them. She wasn't actually about to disclose that it was either this or pay a long visit to rehab. "I'm here to do my job."

"Does _you_ being my Bodyguard mean you're my driver too?" he asked, chopping and changing the subject with each question.

"I…" she didn't actually know. _Plus, didn't they drive on the wrong side of the road over here?_ Another thing she would have to fucking get accustomed to. So many things to change.

"No," Patrick cut in. "You know that's part of Robert's job. But anywhere you do go, out of palace walls, Erin will be accompanying you."

Jay stood up. "I'm about to go to the bathroom," a wicked smirk spread across his face. "Does that mean she has to accompany me there?"

"Very funny," his father narrowed his eyes. "But perhaps you could show Erin the rest of the palace, rooms and gardens that she has yet to see. Does that sound like a good idea?"

"Jesus Christ you are _so_ patronizing," Jay rolled his eyes again. "I guess if you _have_ to be with me then I better get used to it. Let's go, _Erin._ "

 **Please Review!**


	4. Tour

Erin stood awkwardly outside one of the hundreds of bathrooms she figured they had in this place. She scrunched up her face in an attempt to block out the sound of Jay peeing: _gross._ He, on the other hand, apparently couldn't care less whether she heard or not, having left the door ajar.

Without even looking, Erin could tell that the regal appearance of her new home continued still inside the bathrooms- one glance and she would discover that yes, the tiles were so shiny you could recongize your face reflected in it.

Moments later, the younger Prince had appeared, still rearranging himself as he approached. Erin noticed that she'd never heard the chain flush and she watched as Jay stumbled into the same room as her, leaving the door ajar once more.

"Bathroom number four," he mumbled quietly then set off a step ahead of her, his sock-clad feet shuffling loudly along the floor.

Erin walked along in his shadow, scowling. Not even she had imagined how wired she'd be on her first week here. Then again, it was only _this_ particular member of the Royal Family that was showing her a hostile side: it seemed his father, brother and grandparents expressed the nicer traits.

It took her a minute to realize that Jay was shouting random rooms at her, accompanied by half-hearted hand gestures pointing in their direction; "piano room", "Dad's study", "Downstairs cinema", "These are the maids and servants quarters," with this one, he scoffed and turned his back, instead of facing Erin. He yawned.

They'd come to the opposite side of the downstairs corridor to where they'd met in the breakfast room. "I don't suppose you'll be spending a lot of time in this part of the floor," he smirked. "…because I don't. And, well, if you're here to be watching out for me then you won't be here," he pointed behind him. "They shouldn't be staying here anyway, it's not like they can afford it. But the Queen insists on it so _whatever_."

 _So he's making his feelings towards the workers here quite clear_ Erin thought. She gulped. It was no surprise really.

"I'll show you outside next because fuck… I need a cigarette." He let out a breath of air, nodding. "And I also can't be bothered to use the usual garden entrance so we'll go this way."

Erin watched as the Prince looked as though he was helping himself into the maids' bedrooms when he came to a sudden halt. She continued staring as he leaned against a certain section of the wall and pressed his weight against it. For a quick second she was confused, wondered what he was doing until a sudden gust of wind told her it was a disguised door. Before he disappeared, Erin followed him outside.

He led the way along a pebbled walkway, heavily decorated on either side with oversized greenery. Erin was temporarily overwhelmed with the scene but Jay apparently didn't have the time to dwell on the scenery and was walking three large steps ahead of her. She jogged to catch up with him- quietly though, not wanting him to turn around and see.

"The public garden," he still spoke with his back to her, one of his hands shoved in the back of his jeans. The scene surrounding them changed as they walked further- the plants replaced with colorful flowers and ceramic statues twice the size of her.

"Grandma's pride and joy," it sounded like the first thing the Prince had said with feeling this morning. He'd taken the hand from his jeans and touched two fingers against a red petal that hung from one of the tall stems. As he did so, Erin swore she saw something cross his features that resembled emotion, before it suddenly disappeared and his face looked cold. She heard him curse under his breath before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette packet, taking one out and balancing it between his lips.

Erin's eyes widened: a nicotine fix. She hadn't had one of those in a fucking long time.

"I need this," unbeknown to him, Jay spoke words that both of them were feeling before moving again, this time rearing away from the walkway and ducking out of sight. Reluctantly, Erin followed.

"Where are you going?" she asked, wanting to know.

"This place is riddled with security cameras," he stood at normal height again and faced her. The two of them stood in a makeshift circle: somebody had flattened the shrubs and a tree stump was positioned in the centre which somebody had clearly been using as a seat. Perhaps she didn't have to look far for the culprit…

"Obviously the Queen would have a heart attack if she saw me smoking in her _precious gardens_ ," Jay imitated his grandmother on the final two words, his voice going several pitches higher and he shook his head. "But when you gotta smoke, you gotta smoke. And there's always a way." He gestured around them at his hiding place, as though he was proud of himself. And he looked to be too, his face automatically in a better mood as he lit the end of his cigarette. He headed towards the log he used as his chair, a huge sigh escaping him as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Then he surprised her by offering up the packet. "Have one if you want."

It wasn't exactly an offer but Erin stared at the packet. _Yes yes fucking yes I want one_. She stepped nearer to him and took one, rolling it around between two fingers. Jay watched her tormented face, laughing at the same time as blowing out another array of smoke.

"I'm not gonna tell them, if that's what you're worried about." He spoke to her but avoided eye contact. "They don't know I come here to do this, and other stuff. So I'm not exactly going to rat you out."

It was enough – for now- for Erin to forget about her job for a minute. The first drag was almost euphoric: she sucked in the nicotine, feeling it travel all the way down to her lungs. She'd almost forgotten how much of a kick she got from such things. Soon she would be craving more than what was available though and that thought wasn't one she wanted to dwell on. She held the cigarette between her fingers, watching the ash as it burned through the skin and dropped to the floor.

Jay's eyes were on her. "Don't tell me you're going to waste it," he seethed and she heard him suck in a breath. "These things are expensive."

She wanted to retaliate (look at him, acting as though money is an issue!) but instead shrugged and let him take the stub to finish after his own. When he was finished with both, he stubbed them against the log but didn't drop them onto the ground but instead back into the packet they'd came from. Showing at least he had some sort of conscience when it came to his grandmother's sacred places.

Erin watched him as he quickly hid the cigarette box from sight again and stretched his arms upwards, yawing. It wasn't that that caught her attention though, but rather the coloring of a faded pink scar that ran from his waistline and stopped somewhere she couldn't see. Erin averted her gaze super quick and Jay stood up, although it was unclear whether it was because he'd caught her staring or not.

"Guess we should get the tour over with then," he shrugged, parting the plants again and heading back through to the walkway. For some reason, he seemed in a rush to get back inside. It took Erin a moment to realize that the Prince had taken her on another detour, again breaking away from the path. He headed in the direction of the palace walls but not towards the hidden door they'd emerged from. Instead, they were headed in the opposite direction, Jay walking two strides ahead of her. Erin knew she could have easily caught up with him- but given his attitude today, she kinda didn't want to.

He led the way around the bend and Erin recognized it as the entrance she'd first used with Robert, the Royal family's aide. She had time to catch up with Jay as he side-shuffled towards the garbage area, lifting the lid on one of the giant crates and dumping his trash.

"I'll show you upstairs," he spoke as he came back to her, pulling the door open and walking inside before her. He led the way again: up one of the many staircases, coming to an abrupt stop in the upper corridor. "This," he rapped a fist loudly against a large wooden door to their left. "…is my father's apartment. The one opposite is where my grandparents sleep." He stepped further along the hallway, his arms swinging at his sides. "Will's apartment is down that hallway but it probably isn't worth showing you."

Erin thought she saw the beginnings of a snigger at the mention of Jay's brother but didn't comment on it. She noticed also that he'd started talking more conversational: a slip in his usual monotone and unbothered face.

He came to an eventual halt outside a door that didn't look dissimilar to Jay's fathers. Except this one had obvious dents and discoloring in the marking which Erin presumed was the younger Prince's doing.

"The most important part of the palace," Jay spoke the words in such a way that Erin found sleazy. She didn't even want to think about what went down in his place, remembering the unwelcoming look she'd received the first time they'd met and a girl came stumbling out of it.

Jay swung open the door and the smell was the first thing that hit her. Obviously he was accustom to the strange aroma but whatever it was made Erin's nose prickle. She could definitely smell weed- but there was something else. An odor that she couldn't put her finger on but one she definitely didn't like.

"What is that-" Erin started to ask but he was already halfway down his corridor.

"I'll be out in a second," he spoke quickly before disappearing behind another door, leaving her alone.

Wary of touching anything, in case he heard, Erin looked around her. It _did_ look like the rest of the palace, only… _was that a chip in the wall? Could she make out a stain?_ She didn't have all that much time to think about it though, noticing that Jay was making his way back towards her.

Erin narrowed her eyes: the Prince had a hand beneath his nostrils, swiping backwards and forwards in a movement she was familiar with. Like he was wiping away residue, evidence of what he'd just done. One of his recreational habits, and something she would have done too if she was at home.

Jay shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Well that's it I think," he said, staring out of one of the windows that ran all the way from floor to ceiling. "Do you need me to take you back to-"

Erin didn't have the time to respond before the older Prince, Jay's father Patrick, had joined them at the entrance of his son's apartment.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about your visit to the public school this afternoon," Patrick was dressed impeccably compared to his son: a double breasted three-piece suit and slicked back hair. "Erin will be accompanying you," he added with a quick glance in her direction.

"Fuck," Jay had obviously forgotten the fact, probably pissed that he would have to cancel whatever he had planned. "I was supposed to be-"

"I don't care about what you're _supposed_ to be doing, Jay. You have Royal duties to attend to. Now go, you will meet Robert by the parking garage at 3. Make an attempt to look presentable, hmm?"

Jay didn't find his father funny, instead huffing out a breath and sulking away from the other two, slamming his bedroom door shut when he reached it. Patrick looked on after his son for a moment before turning his attention to Erin.

"It's royal protocol that the accompanying bodyguard is required to be armed with a weapon. You are familiar with guns, aren't you?"

* * *

Another thing she was gonna have to get used to: how fucking fast they drove here. Erin felt as though she was being thrown around the car used for Royal outings: a Bentley perhaps- and she often thought they were about to crash. Wrong side of the road and wrong side of the car. Not to mention the way they went around rotaries: several times Robert had swerved quickly away from another car, sending Erin into a panic and the younger Prince into a swearing frenzy.

"Watch where you're fucking going Robert!" Jay slammed an open palm against the glass screen that separated him and Erin from their driver. "Fucking moron," he muttered afterwards, under his breath. Not loud enough for the man in the front to hear but Erin did. She sniggered to herself: it was true the Prince was an ass but she couldn't deny his sense of humor.

She snuck a glance in his direction where he sat to her left. He'd actually done a good job of making himself look presentable for an engagement with the public, dressed in a dark pair of suit trousers and clean button-up shirt. His face hadn't changed much though: he hadn't shaved away any stubble and he still wore the permanent scowl on his face.

"Almost there," Robert piped up from the driver's seat, slowing the car as he was talking.

Erin stared out of the one-way window, taking in the surrounding buildings. It didn't look all that different from Chicago given they were both busy cities. But the buildings in London were older, more intricate to detail perhaps.

Robert had pulled into the school grounds and parked up, being the first one to get out of the car. He opened the rear door for her first and Erin swung her legs forward to get out. Her hand automatically fell towards her back pocket, armed with the glock that Patrick had given her this afternoon. A more updated version of the one she'd used in the Intelligence Unit and one that felt as though it was burning the pocket of her jeans.

 _Why the hell would she need to carry a gun if Jay was only visiting a school?_ The thought had ran through her mind for the majority of the car journey because Jay clearly hadn't wanted to hold a conversation. She now walked in front of him, like she'd been told to, towards the school grounds that were lined with small children dressed in matching uniforms.

By the time the two of them had reached the entrance, it was as though the Prince had transformed into a different person. He'd suddenly become more animated, bending to the children's level to greet them with a smile. One that didn't reach his eyes though, Erin noted, because they still looked as though they were somewhere far away. But it was like he put on a façade for the public because of who he was.

Erin didn't even feel like she was his bodyguard right now, there was no need for her to do anything. The public acted in an appropriate way with their royal guest and so she felt slightly out of place. Once inside though, Jay made it known why she was needed.

"Jesus," he said to her. "I thought they were never gonna let me come inside." His shoulders slumped as he wandered through the hallway. A quick flick of his index fingers told Erin that he was headed to the bathroom, leaving her in the weirdly empty corridor.

She recalled what went down the last time he was alone in a room, because she wouldn't put it past him to do it again. Even if they _were_ in a kids' school…from the 24 hours she'd known Prince Jay, she knew he was reckless.

He emerged quickly and Erin heard the sound of flushing so gathered he'd actually gone to the bathroom to _use_ the bathroom.

"Let's get this over and done with then," he said, his eyes moving towards the opposite side of the corridor.

 _Ah there he was_ : the enthusiasm had disappeared and he was already talking about leaving.

Erin desperately wanted to find out what made him behave like an ass all the time: had something happened to make him this way? She'd been through shit herself but at least she could attempt to hide it and get on with her duties. Instead of asking him anything too personal, Erin turned her attention to finding out what they were doing at the school.

"Why exactly are we here?" she asked.

The Prince made a noise of disenjoyment, slowing their pace as they made it to the door. "They've won an environmental award or some shit," he accompanied his words with hand movements but not enthusiastic ones. "Stuff like this is supposed to be part of my Dad's role but alas… when he doesn't feel like doing it, he palms it off on me!" He looked pissed.

Erin didn't know if that was _strictly_ true but it was the most conversation she'd gotten out of him this far and didn't question it.

He had more to say. "Honestly I think I can just present the bloody award and get the hell out of here." As soon as he'd said it, it was as though he'd plastered on the public mask again and opened the door to a room full of people.

Erin stood at the side, her arms folded across her chest as she watched Jay step onto the podium and raise a hand to silence the crowd. She studied his face and his expression rather than listening to the words that came out of his mouth. He constantly fidgeted with the papers in front of him. His right foot kept tapping continuously against the wooden floor. The words seemed to be falling from his lips at a ridiculous speed of 100 words a minute. No sooner had he given the award to the Principal did he essentially jump down from the podium, gave her a signal with his head and they were heading back to the car where Robert was waiting.

"Oh!" he jumped at the sound of them, having been dozing. "That was quick. Is it over already?"

"It is for me," Jay sneered as he collapsed into the Bentley and closed his eyes.

"Your father is usually at these engagements for well over an hour-"

"Jesus Robert, are you keeping time? If you think _you_ could do a better job then be my fucking guest!" the Prince snapped.

And Erin recognized right away the reason for such behavior…she felt it herself when she was due a fix. Which, come to think of it, was a hella long time ago.

"Your Highness, I was only trying to…" but Robert thought about it and didn't finish his sentence. His words trailed off into the air and Erin saw his attention turn onto the road before he clicked something so the screen came between them.

"Good talk," Jay said sarcastically, looking at Erin as he said it, for a reaction. He got one as she spluttered but played it off as a cough.

A few minutes later, Jay was tapping his knuckles against the glass. Erin could see the strain in the driver's eyes as he struggled to conceal his feelings towards the Prince. That didn't surprise her, considering Jay spoke to Robert like he was dog shit.

"Yes?" he answered anyway but kept his attention on the road.

"I want you to make a detour. Take me to Liberty Street." There was an odd smirk on Jay's face.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, I am under strict instruction to take you and Erin back to the Pal-"

"Look, you can either drive to Liberty Street or I can jump out of the car right now," Jay moved a hand towards the door handle, proving it wasn't only a threat. "I could get you fired, you should know that."

Erin watched Robert in the rear view mirror as he visible shuddered then drove the car down the next side street they came across. She caught sight of Jay, satisfied and relaxing back against the headrest. It was on her mind to ask him- where he demanded to go- but Erin knew she could find out soon enough.

Robert drove slower now, down roads surrounded on both sides by twenty storey office blocks. It was beginning to grow dark and there was nobody walking around in these parts. The scene, as it scarcely changed around her, reminded her of home. Of the eerily quiet streets that were witness to all sorts of danger come nightfall. The violence, the drugs and the gangs. Erin had a strange feeling that this was such an area in London.

Robert brought the Bentley to a complete stop at the end of the next block. There was nothing overly extraordinary about the building but the Prince looked elated when he saw it. He immediately unbuckled the belt and leapt eagerly from the car. Before he walked away, he leaned against the door frame, his face inside the car again.

"Thanks Robert," He said half-heartedly, before turning to Erin. He cleared his throat. "You're my bodyguard. I guess that means you have to come with me."

* * *

Everything hurt. Holy fucking shit, everything hurt. Erin rolled onto her side and winced as she was blinded by fresh sunlight. She hadn't closed the curtains, obviously. _What the hell happened last night?_

The last thing she remembered was getting out of the car and following the Prince through a heavy-looking black door. Then down a dark corridor…and that had led to _what?_ Her brain was hurting even more with trying to remember.

Erin ran a finger across her arms then felt her bare legs. No clothes….except, oh thank fuck, there were her panties. _Okay, so nothing had happened in that department at least._ And thank God she was in her own bedroom and not somewhere else.

She needed to find Prince Jay and ask him what the hell went down last night. If only she could find the will to get out of bed. _Shit._ What was the time? She didn't know her schedule yet but Erin was pretty sure she wouldn't have the day off today. Ignoring the pounding in her head, Erin swung her legs from the bed and looked around her bedroom. Her clothes that she'd been wearing yesterday were thrown onto the floor, her new gun on its side next to her jeans.

She stumbled over to her closet and picked out a clean shirt and dress pants. Perhaps she could attempt to look extra presentable for how crap she was feeling. She ran several fingers through her hair- it needed washing but she figured she didn't have time. Erin opened the door to her bedroom and looked down the hallway in both directions before moving.

The palace was quiet, perhaps too quiet. She couldn't see any of the servants or maids that she'd seen regularly occupying the hallways. Her feet took her in the direction of Prince Jay's apartment and she was surprised to find the door wide open rather than closed how he liked it.

"Hello?" She rapped on the door with a knuckle, the word leaving her mouth in a loud whisper. There was no reply but she hadn't expected one. If Jay _was_ there, he'd be at the door as soon as he heard an unwanted visitor on his ground.

The Prince not being in his quarters meant she didn't know where to go. A muffled shouting pulled her attention to the left and she found herself heading in the direction they were coming from. As she reached the door to the room- a one she hadn't been shown- the voices became clear.

"How could you, Jay? Don't you remember what happened the _last_ time you went there?" It was Patrick, his voice stern. "If the papers got word of-"

"It's too late for that," this was Queen Katherine, Erin immediately recognized her soft voice. She jumped as she heard a loud thump like something hitting the table. "It seems they have already got the footage of you."

"You realize what this means, don't you?" Back to Patrick. "Images of the Royal Prince leaving a sex club? Oh, the press is going to have a field day-"

A sex club?! She and Jay had gone to a sex club? Erin cringed: from what Prince Patrick was saying, it seemed they'd been caught by cameras too. There were only a few reasons why people would _go_ to a sex club and Erin couldn't remember signing up for any of them. Shit, she couldn't even piece together the events of last night.

There was even more shouting from inside the room now and Erin even caught the mention of her name but didn't catch the context it was used in. _Were they talking about her now? Were they going to put the blame on her?_

She was now leaning against the wall in a bid to hear the conversation but it didn't help. She couldn't figure out what they were discussing.

"I don't have to listen to this!" She had no problem hearing Jay now, his angry input into the conversation. One second later- whilst she didn't get the chance to move away from eavesdropping- and the Prince had stormed out of the room in a fury, colliding right into her.

"Watch it," the words left his mouth before he looked up. "Oh!" his voice somewhat softened. "It's you."

Erin froze temporarily and the Prince continued.

"Jesus, you look exactly how I feel."

Erin scoffed but knew he was correct. He didn't look all that well himself, dressed in a crumpled shirt and donning a hairstyle that could only be described as bedhead. He didn't go into detail about what he'd been discussing with his father and grandmother but Erin could just about figure out the matter. Obviously it wasn't the first time Jay had been caught up in his extra-curricular activities. Ones that would give the Royal family a bad name.

Instead, he jolted his head in the opposite direction and rolled his eyes. "I'm hungry," he said, his hands hovering over his stomach. "You look like you could eat," Jay stared at herm waiting for her reaction.

"Yup," _when was the last time she'd actually eaten?_ If she didn't eat anything last night, her last meal was breakfast. Which offered a kind of explanation as to why she felt so shit today.

"Kitchen's this way," Jay reminded her before setting off along the hallway. To begin with, they walked in silence until Erin heard him chuckling quietly to himself.

"What's so funny?" she quizzed him on his laughter.

"I just gotta say…that was quite the performance you put in last night-" another laugh escaped him but this one was louder and he didn't try to hide it.

"Excuse _me_?!" her jaw fell to the floor in shock. Okay so _apparently_ he could recall the night better than she could.

"I've never seen moves like that from anybody in a while," they'd reached the palace kitchens and Jay leaned against the door. "Especially from a girl."

Erin felt her mouth opening and closing but with no words coming out. Just what the fuck was he talking about? He turned away and pulled open the door so they were met with a sea of voices and the smell of bacon. Jay manoeuvred himself between the cooks, helping himself to their freshly prepared food and completely ignoring their cries of " _Hey!"_ , _"That's not for you!"_ and _"Your Highness, if we could just-"_

Erin would have found his movements funny of they weren't so childish. He stole several slices of bread and emerged from the other side of the kitchen carelessly squashing several rashers of bacon between the slices. He offered one to Erin and she took it. It was nothing compared to the lavish spread she had been offered yesterday morning but right now she could probably eat anything. She hoped he'd be walking away from the kitchen now so there would be a chance to quiz him about last night. He steered them away from the kitchen and to another room that housed a breakfast bar and other tables.

Jay slumped down into one of the stools, shoving the sandwich into his face like he'd never been fed before. Like they hadn't been interrupted, he continued the conversation.

"So I figured that's why they hired you," he said between greasy mouthfuls. "The way you punched that guy who came onto you," he whistled. "Can't deny it turned me on a little bit."

Erin's eyes widened but she bit into the bread first before she said anything. _Bacon, huh?_ That was different here too. But she liked it. "I…I hit a guy?"

"Oh, yeah." Jay stuffed the last of his crust into his mouth and licked his fingers. He was studying her reaction. "Hold on a second…you thought … I meant…" then he was laughing again, his hands clapped together. "You really don't remember?"

Erin shook her head. "Were we drinking?"

"Only every kind of spirit there is," he laughed, motioning for her to sit next to him instead of standing awkwardly beside the table. "I couldn't keep count of how many tequila slammers you were knocking back."

Erin groaned, her head throbbing on cue at the mention of the drink. "You could have got me fired," she said, thinking of her job. She was obviously still in the probation period and failing to complete it meant she'd be flown home to Chicago and admitted to a stupid rehab.

"But I didn't," he shrugged. "…and you know…maybe I was wrong about you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Erin replied, bracing herself for another one of his sarcastic comments. But then she realized the tone of his voice and his complete demeanour had changed: a side she'd never seen when alone with him.

"Last night, at the club, I saw you when you weren't just being my bodyguard. Like you were capable of actually having fun. I _like_ fun. If that's the case, maybe we're going to get along just fine."

 **Please Review!**


	5. Storm

It was growing colder now, although Erin was accustom to that given she'd experienced living in Chicago in the minus conditions. With London, the city she'd now been occupying for a month and a half, it felt like a different kind of cold. Like there wasn't such a drop in the temperature but it _felt_ that way because it was constantly raining. But she had grown to like it. Because- when she wasn't on duty- and there was a downpour, she could escape from the palace and fade into the background. With a hood over her face, she wouldn't be recognized as 'Prince Jay's blasted bodyguard' as she'd so been called by the papers.

That nickname had stemmed from the story of when they'd left the sex club together, somebody catching word of Erin hitting out a guy and then feeding it to the media. Ever since then, when she'd accompanied the Prince on his various engagements, she'd been photographed at the worst angles and places, something that shouldn't have bothered her but it did.

The weather today was no different and Erin revelled in the fact that she had the afternoon free to do as she pleased. So long as she was back at the palace for whatever Jay had to attend tonight. It meant she could escape the palace walls for an hour or so.

Whoever was in charge of the Royal Family's wardrobe had provided her with several warm raincoats and Erin had opted for the black one, the plainest choice so she would resemble a regular Londoner, braving the usual rain that took over most of October. She slipped her feet into an extra pair of socks before lacing up the sturdiest boots she could find.

Erin knew her way around the palace now, leaving her bedroom and heading for one of the side entrances that would attract the least attention. She closed the heavy door behind her, shoving her hands into her pockets as she made for the gate. Erin walked in an aimless wander for five minutes, not actually having a destination in mind. She could walk into the mall to pick out some clothes; she could find a parlour to get a haircut. She could go for a walk through the park. But with all three of the options, she was at risk of being recognized.

She could….

She had those contacts she'd managed to pick up… _they'd_ be able to service her. The closest of which was only a couple of blocks from here: nobody would have to know she'd called. She could probably go there, pick up what she craved and be out again in say…20 minutes? The desire was almost overwhelming, now she was thinking about it. _Fuck it,_ this was an afternoon off. What she did on her time was _her_ business.

The thought of one sweet line was enough for her to begin walking to that certain corner and it gave her a little time to figure out how she was going to pay for it. Two blocks away, and she could almost taste it. One block away and she was ready to…

Her cell phone was ringing, she could feel the vibration in her pocket. Without even looking, Erin knew it would a call coming from the palace. Looking at the screen, she figured out she was right.

"Erin?" Patrick was on the other end. "Where are you? Are you outside?" he could clearly hear the rain through the speaker.

"I'm just…" for a minute, she couldn't think of a white lie to tell her employer, fairly certain that she couldn't tell him the exact truth. "I just went for a walk," was the vague sentence that came out of her mouth.

"Did you really?" he sounded suspicious. "And how far are you from the palace?"

"No more than fifteen minutes," Erin calculated, stopping dead in her tracks. She suddenly remembered what had gone down when Robert had taken her phone. He'd cleared it of everything but he'd put other stuff on it too. Something told her the new additions had included some sort of tracking device. She gulped, realizing her cell phone didn't often accompany her on these random walks. "You _know_ where I am, don't you?"

"I'm afraid so," Patrick answered with what she'd been expecting.

 _Was it even legal for them to bug her phone?_

"Don't you go thinking that I don't know that area. I know my son. Is he the one that sent you there? That little-"

"No!" She couldn't get the younger Prince in trouble for something he wasn't to blame for. "He didn't… I'm not…"

"Okay Erin," Patrick didn't sound convinced. "I'm sending Robert to collect you, you shouldn't be out when there's a storm coming anyway." Without saying it, he'd made Erin feel as though she was in trouble, like he was her superior. Though he was in the work sense, the end of the phone call had him sounding like a father figure. And Erin didn't feel the need for one of _those_.

She was about to tell Patrick that she didn't need escorted home but he'd already ended the call abruptly. And he'd mentioned a storm: was she being stupid in thinking that was already happening? She couldn't see more than five metres in front of her. So surely it was more dangerous to drive back to the palace than walk? Especially with Robert's driving…

He arrived a lot sooner than Erin expected him too, just narrowly avoiding drenching her with a puddle of water from the side of the road. Without giving it a second thought, Erin slid into the left side of the front of the car, forgetting protocol that nobody should sit in the front with the driver.

"What the devil-" Robert started, clearly not expecting her to occupy the passenger side. "What on _Earth_ made you want to leave the palace in this weather?" he frowned, noticing the rain water as it dripped from Erin and onto the car's interior.

Erin didn't answer him right away because that was _exactly_ the point: she was always inside the palace walls and sometimes she got sick of them. "I was just…" _on my way to pick up some drugs?_

"Anyway," Robert spoke again before she finished the sentence. "Looks like we'll make it back to the palace before the storm hits." He echoed the thoughts of Prince Patrick, looking out of his window at the sky.

"But it's already raining," Erin replied, stating the obvious. "Surely it's not going to get much worse?"

Robert chuckled to himself and shook his head. "You've never experienced a London storm before then," he told her, swerving the Bentley to the left. "We should have time to get inside before it hits."

It didn't look like it to Erin though as she gazed up towards the clouds. Robert drove through the palace gates and continued to the parking garage where they no longer heard the rainfall. Erin didn't wait for the driver- Robert liked to take his time when locking up the car- but instead walked through the corridors that led to the palace, undressing from her coat and shoes along the way. As she progressed to the upper level, she was met with a sea of voices. First a group of servants passed her, so deep in conversation they didn't stop. When they'd gone, Erin sought sight of Prince Patrick talking with his parents. He saw her at once.

"Erin," he sounded exasperated. "The weather has disrupted plans for the charity ball tonight," his comment reminded her of where Jay was supposed to be going this evening. "…but Mother has insisted we host it at the palace instead, for those willing to leave their homes in the rain that is."

"Well it's not like we haven't the room," Queen Katherine said, ignoring her son's obvious annoyance.

"But the palace isn't supposed to host events that aren't a hundred percent official," Prince Henry spoke now, in agreement with his son. "If the information regarding tonight got into the wrong hands-" he trailed off.

Erin was under the impression this was a family tiff rather than an argument though because they weren't actually shouting at one another.

"Well this is just _great_ ," Jay appeared from nowhere, his bad mood already apparent. "One thing I have to do that I was actually looking forward to and the fucking rain means it's cancelled. I'd booked a pretty hot date for the occasion too." He slumped against the wall when he reached where the four of them were standing and pulled an unimpressed face.

"You just missed our discussion," his father spoke to him, patting Jay's shoulder. "We are holding it at the palace instead!" All of a sudden he looked far too enthusiastic for the conversation but it didn't rub off on anybody else.

"Here?" Jay asked, obviously not believing him. "We can't hold this charity event inside the palace. _And_ I've cancelled my date now so what am I supposed to do?" he sounded pissed.

Patrick's eyes flitted around everybody for a minute. "Erin," he said eventually. "You don't have plans for tonight, do you?" Patrick questioned, knowing perfectly well that her job- did she have a duty tonight- was to accompany the youngest Prince on his duties.

"I-"

"Oh, that's a great idea! Erin can come with you and the problem is solved!" Queen Katherine clasped her hands together with joy. "That's settled then," she made it clear that her part in the conversation was over and tottered away, holding onto her expensive gown so she wouldn't tread on it.

"I can't," Erin put in, after what the Queen had suggested had registered properly in her brain. "I have to watch over-"

"Yeah Dad," Jay complained, his voice wining like that of a small child. "That's not…it's not…I mean, no offense-" he looked at Erin and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't think there's any issue," his father cut in again, positive that he'd solved the situation. "But the two of you obviously can't be seen like _that_ ," Patrick looked down at his son and Erin, more specifically at what they were wearing. Erin was still clad in the damp clothes she'd worn in the rain and Jay was wearing the lower half of a tracksuit accompanied with a day-old T-shirt that needed ironing. An insight into how the younger Prince could dress himself for a public engagement if he was in charge of it. Luckily for the rest of society, he wasn't.

"Jay," Patrick's attention focused on his son. He raised an eyebrow. "You know where the suits are kept."

Jay immediately reacted: wandering off to another part of the palace.

"As for you, Erin, I have just the person who can help."

* * *

 _Help_ was certainly what she needed because….Erin and dresses? They didn't go together at all. Up to now, she'd always managed to avoid or talk her way out of attending such events because they definitely weren't her scene. Neither was the room she was currently standing in- if you could call it a room.

Every angle Erin looked, her sight was filled with colorful outfits and enough shoes and accessories to stock a department store for a month. For the past half hour, she'd been poked and prodded in a bid to find something that suited her.

"Now I don't think this is your color," Nina spun her around as though she was a mannequin, inspecting Erin as she stood in the centre of the room dressed in a fuchsia dress with a sweetheart neckline. "You _won't_ be wearing this one."

 _Too fucking right_ Erin had thought to herself as she stepped out of the dress down to her underwear.

She hadn't spent a lot of time with Prince Will's fiancée and she was beginning to see why. Nina was definitely into all this costume that would be fit for an – actual- Princess. The size of her walk-in closet was almost the size of Erin's whole apartment back home. Not to mention there must be at least a hundred pairs of shoes in there- Erin had never seen anything like it. Nina came across as somebody who never stood still and now was searching through a rail of dresses again for something to loan her.

"How about yellow?" but the color had barely left her lips before the look on Erin's face told her it was a no. As she continued her seemingly impossible search, Erin caught sight of Nina's engagement ring as it twinkled against the light. "Isn't it beautiful?" Nina had caught her staring and walked out to her to show it off.

Erin didn't know a lot about jewellery but yes, she couldn't deny that the ring certainly did look amazing. Nina wanted to tell her more about it:

"Did you know Will designed it himself?" _she didn't._ "And the proposal really was so romantic, he went to so much trouble. He hired out one of my favorite places so it was just the two of us. It was the greatest moment-" Erin got the impression that Will's fiancée could go for days talking about the proposal if nobody stopped her. She didn't know a great deal about Jay's older brother and his soon-to-be wife but she'd heard in passing conversation that they'd been a couple since university.

"I wonder," Nina's attention had again averted to something in her closet and she walked over to it, pulling something free. "I was planning on wearing this for our next dinner but I don't think it's my color."

Erin spun around just in time to see her reach for a hanger that held a black dress. _Not her color_ Erin thought _what was that supposed to mean exactly?_ _That Nina was about to associate her with black as a color?_ Before she could dwell on the thought, Nina had slipped the soft material over her head and was working on the fastening, a zipper at Erin's side.

"I knew this would look good on you," said Nina as she took a step back. "You have just the right shoulder shape for it."

Erin frowned subtly: a conversation about shoulder structure was _not_ one she wanted to get into.

"What do you think?" Nina was walking her towards a mirror, pushed Erin in front of it so she was forced to look at herself. "You look great!" she said enthusiastically.

Erin twisted, to the left and to the right, as she looked at the figure staring back at her. Her usually bruised legs were hidden by the dark material that showed her assets more than ever. The material stopped just above her bra and curbed towards the back to show off part of her spine. She inspected the way her arms looked in the mirror: arms that were usually hidden beneath long sleeved sweaters and hoodies. Erin hadn't looked at them in so long that she realized suddenly just how much the track lines and scars had faded. She noticed- probably for the first time ever- just how many freckles she had on her back. They seemed to form a pattern that disappeared beneath the dress. She didn't feel like she was looking at herself.

"…and I know the look isn't complete yet but I think at least we've found you something to wear," Nina had been speaking but Erin only caught the end of it. "Why don't you take it off for now whilst I do something about your hair?"

Erin would have called Nina out for being so rude if she wasn't just stating the obvious: her hair _was_ a fucking mess. Not that it usually bothered her because most of the time, she had it back in a bun or a pony.

A few minutes later, she'd shoved back on her slacks and was sitting at Nina's dressing table, one of the most extravagant she'd ever seen. Nina seemed to own every hairclip, make-up brush and eyeshadow palette there was in the world. After she'd been pulling, tugging and brushing at Erin's curls for thirty minutes, she put down her tools.

"And now your make-up. Close your eyes,"

Erin swore she could even feel herself beginning to relax as she heard Will's fiancée muttering to herself about what she was doing to Erin's face. Then she seemed to remember that she hadn't told Erin to shut her mouth as well- she was still capable of having a conversation.

"How come you're going as Jay's date to this thing? I thought he'd be taking one of his…um, how do I put this? Call girls?"

Erin swallowed, she wished she could see Nina's face. She opened one eye sceptically- the one Nina wasn't working on. "I'm not going as his _date_ ," she confirmed. "Patrick practically told me I was going and I guess it means I'm actually there if anything should happen," she shrugged.

"Right," Nina didn't sound convinced but Erin couldn't be bothered to say anything more about it. "Listen," there was a change in her tone. "I know we haven't spent a lot of time together or seen a lot of one another but I gotta admire what you're doing."

Erin opened both eyes this time, ignoring Nina as she cursed quietly, thinking Erin had ruined her eyeliner.

"What I'm doing? What do you mean?" she wasn't sure what Nina was referring to.

"I mean the whole being his bodyguard thing. You know, escorting him on the public engagements, I know you try to make sure he stays out of trouble. He's been through a lot, especially with what happened to his mom."

Her comment definitely caught Erin's attention. Her eyes widened- perhaps she _had_ ruined her make-up this time. "What? What are you talking about?" she watched as Nina's face dropped, having said something she shouldn't have.

"Oh," Nina appeared to be finding speaking a difficult task, opening her mouth but with no words coming out. "Well…it's not really my place to say." Her face appeared to clamp up but she saw Erin was still looking. "Really," Nina shrugged. "That kind of information shouldn't come from me."

There was a pregnant awkward silence between them until Nina eventually broke it, acting as though the end of the conversation had never happened. "I think you're all set," Nina walked away from her, picking up the dress that she'd placed back onto the hanger. "Will and I are seeing my parents tonight or else we could have joined the party," she let out a soft giggle. "But I think you'll have a good night regardless."

* * *

 _A good night regardless._ The last words Nina had uttered to her remained in Erin's head as she wriggled into the dress. She wasn't sure what Will's fiancée had meant with the comment but was sure she was getting at something. She put it to the back of her mind, no doubt she would dwell on it in bed tonight.

Nina had also mentioned the Princes' mother, a subject Erin had _never_ heard discussed before. Half of her was adamant it was completely none of her business and that was that. There was obviously a reason why she was never brought up in conversation. And yet…the inquisitive side of her, the side that always won, wanted to know.

Erin looked down at the court sandals Nina had also loaned her and grimaced: she hadn't even attempted to walk in them yet so tonight was bound to be a disaster. She could recall the last time she'd worn heels: never. She slid her feet into them, reaching down to fasten the strap that tied around her ankle. Then came her attempt to walk towards the other side of the room, a movement in preparation for whatever she was supposed to do tonight.

Surprise consumed her when she figured she wasn't as bad as she thought, but she couldn't imagine being one of those women who tottered around in six-inch heels every day. _Give me sneakers any day of the week_ she thought… but for one night, they would do.

Erin walked into her bathroom to look in the mirror. Nina had actually done a pretty good job with her make-up but Erin got the impression she didn't need any more praise or her ego would go through the roof. She seemed the type of fiancée that _knew_ she was pretty but perhaps Erin just had to get to know her better.

There was no time for that tonight though because she had to leave her room to find Jay. She wasn't certain what the evening was in aid of but, judging by the younger Prince's reaction to the prospect of it being cancelled, she knew it must have meant something to him. Which was saying a _lot_ because Jay didn't strike her as the sentimental type.

Erin grabbed the silver clutch purse- another accessory on loan from Will's fiancée because _"Oh! It looks perfect with that dress!"_ \- and stuffed her cell and the key for her room inside. Though Patrick had dropped hints that she should enjoy her evening, Erin still felt in work mode ad had her gun on her person also- locked and hidden beneath her dress. She cleared her throat and set off for the grandest of the staircases where she hoped somebody would meet her. It had been a month but she still felt as though she could get lost in the palace walls.

The hallway leading away from her bedroom was empty but as Erin neared the stairs, she could hear muffled voices. Greetings. Those who had come out of the rain, ridding themselves of overcoats and umbrellas, some of their shoes squeaking before they reached the carpet. Amongst the bustle of voices, she could recognize Jay's. As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she saw him too and sucked in a breath.

If Erin didn't look like herself, then Jay resembled a completely different person also. Sure, she'd seen the youngest Prince in a smart tuxedo before but there was something new about this time. It was the smile. A bright, welcoming and open grin that took over the whole of his face. It was one that connected directly to his eyes, making them glisten as he shook the hands of his male guests and kissed the cheeks of the ladies.

Erin held tight against the banister as she took the stairs one at a time towards the bottom. With about two steps left, she could feel the faces of people turning towards her, some lingering longer than others. Eventually the couple Jay was in conversation with glanced her way which meant he did too. His jaw hung open in mid-air, as though he wasn't about to finish his sentence. Erin watched as he dipped his head- obviously excusing himself- then stood back up again, beginning to walk over to her. As he reached where she was standing, he paused, his hands on his hips revealing more of his clean white shirt. It was paired with a skinny black tie that was the same color as the rest of his suit.

He nodded his head towards her before the grin returned- the very same one that had taken over his face just moments ago. "You made it," he spoke quietly but quickly and motioned in the direction of a room to the left. "It's in here."

Erin followed just behind him and everybody else seemed to follow at their own pace. He moved them past servants holding canapes of food so fancy that Erin was hesitant to try it. She decided against it, heading instead into the ballroom and suddenly thinking her eyes were deceiving her.

The interior of the palace had always surprised her but the rooms she had been introduced to thus far were nothing compared to what she was looking at right now. The low light of the room only worked to highlight how many magnificent chandeliers hung above their heads. There were several taller-than-men statures placed alone the walls of the room, offering decoration. A banquet table ran the length of one wall, piled high with metallic trays that no doubt housed the tastiest of foods. The rest of the room was taken up by round tables and high-backed chairs and there was a tiled floor in the centre.

"What do you think?" without her realizing, Jay was at her side, looking around the room as well.

"Woah," Erin's feelings were made clear with her exclamation- and he seemed satisfied with her answer.

"I'll take that as a compliment," said the Prince, _and was that actually a laugh that escaped him?_ Even if it wasn't, Erin was damn straight gonna swear that it was.

"Wait, you did this?" Hers was a tone of genuine surprise because she definitely hadn't anticipated he was capable of organizing such an event. There was something inside her that felt impressed already and the night was only beginning.

"Uhh, yeah," the Prince replied, shrugging. "I think…we're sitting over there," he pointed to one of the tables- on a closer inspection, Erin could see it was occupied by some members of Jay's family. Minus Will and Nina. They waved when they saw Jay and Erin walking- or rather, Jay was striding quickly whilst Erin half-ran to keep up, especially in heels.

"Erin," Patrick stood, greeting her first before paying attention to his son. "You look exquisite."

She followed Jay around to the two vacant chairs at the opposite side of the table, instead of asking Patrick what the hell _exquisite_ meant.

Noticing the young Prince's name on a place card, Erin moved slightly to the left expecting to see her own name. _Mitzy Wilson._ Erin swallowed, her eyes diving to the right just in time to see Jay swipe up the name card in a swift movement. He crumpled it into a ball in his hands, avoiding eye contact and feigning ignorance.

It took a minute before the reason dawned on Erin: there hadn't been a lot of time to alter the name tags, meaning this girl was obviously the girl the Prince had planned on bringing. Erin edged into her chair: _what kind of a name was Mitzy anyway?_

"So," Jay changed the subject. "I..uh..just need to," he rushed off in the opposite direction.

Erin politely greeted Queen Katherine and her husband, then scanned the room. Jay was standing at the room's entrance, greeting the last of the guests. As music started playing from somewhere, Erin saw everybody rise out of their seats as though it was some sort of ritual, including Jay's grandparents. She noticed though, that Patrick didn't move an inch and she was about to ask him why when there was a light tap upon the bare skin of her shoulder.

Erin spun quickly to find Jay, looking on at her.

He scratched the back of his head in uncertainty. "I…uh…we always start these nights off with a dance-" he gulped and paused to look around him. "It's common protocol so I guess…uhm," he held out a hand towards Erin and she took it, gingerly at first because she had no idea what to expect. _She couldn't fucking dance!_ Then she thought more rationally: the room was full of people, surely nobody would notice.

That feeling soon disappeared though when Erin realized Jay was leading her right into the centre with everybody else surrounding them. The music got louder and Erin tensed rigid as Jay held out his other hand to hold hers. Then she froze even more as the Prince cautiously edged a little closer, his large palm lightly touching the dress that hung at her back. Though she wasn't accustomed with dancing, Erin knew that meant she should rest a hand against his shoulder so she did. Jay let out the smallest sigh as her palm hit the material of his suit, probably the first time they'd had actual contact in such a close vicinity.

"I didn't tell you something when you came down the stairs," Jay spoke quite loudly so she could hear him over the music. "But you do look-"

He didn't finish the sentence because they were suddenly plunged into complete darkness, the music coming to an abrupt stop. The noise that followed was a hectic murmur of shouting and shuffling feet and Erin swore she even heard a scream. A number of profanities left Jay's mouth before he dropped her hand. She got the impression he was about to say something but Patrick got there first with a huge "Silence!" that did what it intended to the crowd. He shouted instructions and Erin stayed put as people around her started to move.

"A power cut," Jay told hr, although realistically she knew that already.

It was a few moments before Patrick had managed to usher everybody out of the room. Jay had located his cell phone, launching the torch app and shining it around the room.

"The whole city is out," Prince Henry spoke from where he now stood at the window, noticing that the outside world was also in darkness. There were no lights in houses and no street lights illuminated.

"So fucking typical," Jay spoke under his breath.

"Language, James!" not so quiet that the Queen didn't hear him and she spoke up, addressing her grandson with his full name that he didn't like.

"It's just so fucking typical!" Jay continued, ignoring the monarch's wishes. "Every time I try and organize something or- ugh!"

Erin couldn't make out why he was so angry but she could tell he was standing near, being able to hear the rage in his voice.

"Hey," he said, quietly this time so only she could hear. "I can't be bothered for this. You wanna get out of here?"

 _To Be Continued...  
_ **Please Review!**


	6. In Cognito

When Erin thought about the color black, she pictured the dress she was currently wearing. The shade of a midnight sky. Half of the squares on a checkers board- not that she knew how to play. The color of her patrol vest, the protective cover she used to wear on the streets of Chicago. Times the intensity of that color by a hundred and you'd probably come close to how dark the London palace was right now.

She couldn't actually tell whether her eyes were open or closed, it made no difference. Far now from the loud chaos of the disrupted guests, she and Jay occupied a quieter corridor with their only source of illumination coming from their cell phones. Even that didn't make much of a difference though, the miniscule amount of light made it seem as though the walls were closing in on them.

"I think it's this way," Jay spoke in a whisper but his voice sounded normal to her considering how deserted this part of the palace was. His sentence- moments later- was followed by a number of curse words. Erin didn't have to think about it to figure out what had happened.

"Fuck, my toe!" By this point, the Prince was shouting and the noises escaping him indicated he was clearly in pain.

Erin sensed his movement slowing, as he'd been walking in front of her, but he didn't stop completely.

"Who's _bloody_ idea was it to leave whatever that was in the corridor?!" He'd halted to inspect what had caused him injury, shining his cell phone torch down to the floor.

As far as Erin could tell, Jay's footfall had collided with a box or crate of some sort, obviously containing something heavy. There was a crash as he moved it slightly: the container was evidently home to something that was easily broken… because Jay had broken it.

"What is it?" Erin was inquisitive, wanting to know what the contents was.

"I don't know," the Prince told her, his deep voice travelling to echo off the walls. "But whatever it was, it's probably broken," he led out a small chuckle. "And whoever it belonged to deserves it for leaving it in such a stupid fucking place."

His comment rang certainly true to Erin: the British Royal family probably housed enough millions to replace whatever was broken in a matter of minutes. And Jay seemed to have that type of attitude towards anything material: it could be fixed right away.

Jay's cell phone made a noise then so did he, a low groan that sounded unimpressed. "My battery's gonna die," he said and from the little light in the room, Erin could tell he'd stood back up again, his footsteps sounding further away.

"Where are you going?" Erin asked him, wishing she could see him to point at what he'd just so obviously left behind. "What are we going to do about that?"

The corridor was quiet for a second before she heard a single snigger from him. "We're not going to do anything, it's not our problem."

Though being Jay's bodyguard meant she was exposed to different sides of him, this ridiculously cocky attitude always seemed to take over. He didn't care that something- that wasn't his to break- had been broken. And though it was true that the items could probably be replaced, that wasn't the point. The younger Prince just appeared to have no morals.

Jay seemed to have stopped, realizing that her footfall wasn't following his own. Erin heard him sigh.

"You're not still concerned about that box, are you?" he huffed out a breath. "Trust me, it's not worth mulling over. It'll be replaced by tomorrow."

"That's not the-" _point_ , she had been going to say but the word got trapped in her mouth suddenly when the illumination from the Prince's cell torch shut off abruptly. Her own was still working but Jay obviously had the better phone, either that or better brightness. The light coming from the back of Erin's phone did nothing to highlight anything in the room.

"That's all we need," Erin said, more to herself than her company.

"Yeah you're probably right," evidently he heard anyway, his voice sounding closer than Erin remembered.

As she brought the torch to shine on somewhere else besides the floor, she noticed he had in fact made it back over to where she was standing.

"We need to get out of here," he spoke again, and Erin could sense an actual urgency in his voice. For somebody who seemed to never express how he was feeling to her- or anybody else for that matter- Prince Jay was pretty eager to get out of this particular corridor. Either that or he wanted to get away from the damage he'd already caused.

Eventually, Erin realized she was going to have to follow him, whether she wanted to or not. For one reason, he knew his way around the palace a _lot_ better than she did and for another, her job. Though Prince Patrick claimed she could take the evening off, she was still in the company of Jay so it was as though she was on duty anyway.

The sound of the Prince's footsteps sounded like they were just ahead of her.

"Where are we going?" the echo from their surroundings made Erin's voice resembled a hiss. She had lost count now of how many times she'd asked him this already but alas, he'd never answered her.

"Where are you?" his footsteps had stopped but obviously Erin still couldn't see him.

"I'm just behind you," she spoke quietly, knowing there was little need to shout. "These shoes-" Erin had been determined to reach whatever room they were going to without the footwear causing an issue but her feet were in fucking _agony_. The sandals she'd borrowed from Nina felt as though they were cutting the blood circulation to her toes… _how did people walk around all day with these uncomfortable blister-inducing things on their feet?_ She couldn't understand it.

"Take them off then," Jay's suggestion was like music to her ears and Erin was thankful she no longer had to put up the façade that she could walk perfectly in them.

"But I can't see where I'm going," she thought back momentarily to the box that had almost caused the Prince to break a toe. And that was when he was _actually_ wearing shoes. If Erin were to do the same, but in barefoot, and considering how fucking clumsy she could be…it could lead to casualty.

"Give me your hand," Though Jay's voice was no more than a whisper, Erin realized there was authority in his voice that she had never heard before. Although she had witnessed the Prince telling other people what to do, attempting to hold power in conversation and try to get his own way numerous times, there was something about the way he spoke now that made her want to follow his instruction. But obviously she hesitated; unsure of his intentions, before concluding it was probably a gesture because her feet were uncomfortable.

Having hold of her meant they would reach their destination quicker- wherever the hell that was.

"Erin," there was more edge to his tone this time. "Will you just give me your bloody hand?"

"Alright!" she bickered back, thankful she wasn't technically on duty so she could talk to him in such a manner. Not that there was anybody else around to tell her not to do so. She reached where he was standing, finding his arm slightly outstretched behind him towards her. Erin lowered her own hand to find his in the darkness, a shiver coursing through her when she found it. His rough yet warm skin was an opposite contrast to the ever-cold blood that ran through her veins, meaning her own limbs were never of his temperature.

It wasn't the first time they had been in close contact but it certainly felt a lot more intimate than ever before. Erin gulped: those two words should never be used in the same sentence…Jay and _intimate._ It was a few seconds before his fingers closed around hers and he led them, in silence for he didn't speak, this way and that way through corridors neither of them could see.

"You must know the palace like the back of your hand," Erin was becoming accustomed to his silence but chose to break it anyway.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

She was confused. "Haven't you lived here all of your life?"

"Yes," the Prince told her. "But there's areas of the palace that I haven't seen, that I wouldn't want to go to."

"Oh?" His answer intrigued her because Erin had presumed that, as one of the inhabitants of the London palace, he had free reign of all corridors, wings and rooms. But his answer gave the assumption that this wasn't the case.

"Speaking of," Jay loosened the grip on her hand and Erin wiggled her fingers, only just realizing how tight he must have been holding. She stood at his side as he seemed to fumble for something in his suit pocket. A light soon appeared on a door in front of them after Jay had opened it with an unusual looking key card. He pulled the door open and walked in first, plunging them into…further darkness.

Erin rolled her eyes- he couldn't see of course- before she thought her eyes were deceiving her. There was sudden illumination as Jay struck a match creating fire. She was about to ask him why he hadn't had that bright idea before but then watched as the Prince lowered the flame to connect with the wick of a candle. Then another. And a third. As Jay lit the fifth, Erin's eyes adjusted and she realized they were in some sort of store room. A far cry from the expensive taste of the rest of the palace, this place resembled a sort-of shelter.

 _Was it wrong that she felt more at home here?_ It was more the size she was used to.

"What is this place?" Erin found a two-seater couch in front of her and didn't wait to be welcomed onto it. She collapsed onto one of the cushions and reached down immediately to free herself from Nina's shoes. Fighting the urge to fling them- for they weren't hers to damage- she set them down on the floor and looking over at the Prince.

His attention had moved from lighting candles and Erin found that he was already looking at her, his eyebrows raised in amusement, watching her with the shoes. It turned into a chuckle when he sensed that she'd caught him looking.

"Even the richest of people can't do a lot to prepare for a blackout," he told her, leaning forward in the wooden chair he now occupied. "The darkness doesn't discriminate against class."

The start of this conversation was the first inkling she got that the Prince was actually an intellectual, beneath the whole _I-don't-give-a-fuck_ attitude.

"Or royalty for that matter," he moved now, not able to settle so instead stood against a cabinet, which gave off a creaking noise as Jay threatened its balance. "So when the city does come to a complete standstill, it's important to be prepared." He leaned his weight against the cupboard and it made another creak of uncertainty which caused Jay to lift himself away. Then, thinking twice about it first, shuffled with the intention of sitting in the vacant side of the armchair.

"The last time we had a storm like this, it was bad," he paused and let out an elongated breath. "Especially for my family." It was like, in the darkness, the Prince wasn't himself.

Erin got the impression that whatever conversation took place between these four walls was to never escape the room. Waiting for Jay to continue, she curled her legs beneath her, not even concerned about creasing the dress.

The candles that were now lit didn't provide the job a few lightbulbs would, but at least they could see a little. And each other. Before continuing, Jay stood up again, this time pulling open one of the cabinet's doors. His arm temporarily disappeared as he searched for something. One side of his mouth twitched up as he found it and Erin discovered it was a whisky bottle when his hand came back into view.

He moved swiftly, reaching for accompanying glasses and offering one to her. The gulp that Erin swallowed was more audible than she wanted it to be. Having a dram—or more- of whisky meant there was a risk of falling back down the rabbit hole. But then, she thought, this stuff was not half as powerful as the hard drugs she'd previously been addicted to. Sure, a shot of whisky would do no harm.

"Spare me the lecture, tonight of all nights," Jay had already opened the glass bottle and was pouring his second shot when he turned his gaze to her. He had wrongly presumed she was about to insist against it but technically she wasn't at work tonight so couldn't do anything about it anyway.

 _Fuck it_ she thought _if you can't beat 'em, join 'em._

She pushed out the glass that he'd given her. The Prince couldn't hide his initial surprise, his eyebrows betraying him as they shot up. As he filled both of their glasses to an amount sufficiently more than a dram, he clinked his against hers before setting down beside her again.

There was clearly something on his mind and Jay made sure he'd taken a very large mouthful of the liquor before he opened his mouth.

"March 24th 2000. That was the last time we had a storm this bad."

"You remember the exact date?" Erin held the glass of whisky with two hands on her knee. She knew there was more to come, the look on his face told her that much.

"It's impossible to forget," another large gulp. "It's what killed my mum."

It took Erin a second to figure out that in England they had a different spelling of it; Jay was talking about his mom. It was a topic that had never been brought up in conversation before, but Erin knew she had to have existed. But the last thing she had expected was for Jay's mother to be dead.

She knew the Prince's age, meaning he had only been 10 years old when it happened. Oh _fuck_.

The candle illumination just provided enough light for her to see his face. Jay's features looked solemn, but there was also a softness about him that she'd never seen before. Most of his emotion lay in the eyes, but Erin couldn't tell if they had glazed over or whether it was purely a trick of the light. And she noticed that he was no longer looking at her.

"She was driving to a charity event out of town," the Prince continued quietly, both of his hands wrapped tight around the now almost empty whisky glass. "Her driver didn't see the oncoming truck because the weather was so bad. All he saw was a flash of bright light and then-" he trailed off, leaving Erin to imagine the rest.

"They had been told not to drive in such conditions. But mum insisted on going to this thing." He stopped talking, obviously waiting for her to respond but she didn't know what would be the right thing to say. So she started with the obvious.

"That's why events like tonight are so important to you," she realized, guessing that Jay had been close to his mom and wanted to continued whatever legacy she'd started.

A nod of his head confirmed her guessing. "I've never told anybody about it," he shrugged and drained the last of his liquor from the bottom of the glass. "Nobody apart from my family knows what really happened."

Erin nodded, still unsure as to why he was telling her then. His lips remained parted, like he wasn't finished talking.

"There's been a lot of conspiracy theories…in the media," he shook his head. "People think mum was having some kind of affair with her driver," the way Jay said it made it clear he didn't believe that to be true. "Others have claimed the accident wasn't an accident at all. They say that my father-" he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence but Erin understood what he was getting at.

 _Was Jay trying to suggest that his father was responsible for his mother's death?_ Surely Patrick wouldn't be capable of such a thing.

Erin released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. If Jay was actually telling a true tale, it would explain the reason for his strained relationship and constant coldness towards his father. "You really believe that?" Erin thought twice about asking him, but the curiosity got the better of her.

"I don't know what I believe," Jay stood up to pour himself another drink, finishing it in one before offering her another. "I was only ten years old when it happened. I thought, at that age, that my parents had the perfect marriage. It's only as I got older that I found out what they hid from me. My mother married into the family… if they wanted to cover something up, they have the power- and the money- to do it."

 _So it wasn't only expensive boxes they could try and replace_ she thought, although she didn't voice that assumption.

"I'm so sorry Jay," she said sincerely, feeling for him. He had obviously been close with his mother as a child and her death had scarred him but he'd kept that beneath the surface. He had lost a parent he'd been loved by, though obviously she didn't know what that felt like. "Why did you decide to tell _me_?" Erin remembered his words from before: that he had never told this to anybody, except for his family.

Jay set down the bottle of whisky on the floor and folded his arms. Then immediately unfolded them, restless. "I decided to tell you so you know that my dad is not this great man that everybody makes him out to be," he took a breath, one that came out so forcefully that it blew out one of the candles. "He can be evil and vindictive…and he thinks I don't know about this new woman he's started dating," with this comment, he gave a noise of dissatisfaction, obvious disapproval. "Sometimes it's like she never even existed."

"Hey, that's not true," Erin meant it with sincerity yet wasn't sure she could believe her own words. Before this conversation, she didn't know a single thing about Jay's mother. Nobody ever uttered a word about her and Erin could tell Jay was pissed about that. But now she knew the reason why, it was clear why the truth had been kept secret.

She didn't know a lot of the Royal family's history but knew enough to determine that if a scandal or rumor went public, it could ruin their reputation.

"Even Will takes his side sometimes," Jay continued, once he'd started he couldn't stop ranting about his father. He'd also given up on the glass now, instead swigging the whisky straight from the bottle.

Erin finished the drop of alcohol she had left in her own container and stood up, placing it gently beside the cabinet.

"She was our fucking _mother_ ," he cursed, his eyes wandering up to the ceiling. Not that he could see anything up there, the light didn't stretch that far. "…and he doesn't even care." Jay spoke his thoughts aloud and Erin was unsure if his words were even directed at her anymore. She watched as he spun the bottle around in his palms and then he was drinking again, pretty big mouthfuls that he swilled around in his mouth.

"That is not going to solve any of your problems," Erin was surprised herself at the authoritative tone that left her lips. _Who was she to tell him to stop drinking?_ Especially when she was supposedly off duty and he was deep in the confinements of where he lived. Something told her- if she didn't do anything- he wasn't going to stop.

"You know, I used to come and hide in this part of the palace," he said, disregarding her concerned tone. "I used to hate it when it was thundering and raining so I hid out in a room where I couldn't see it. Nobody knows that I prepared this room for such a thing happening again. Well," his eyes fell upon her. "Nobody except you."

It was a glimpse into something private that Erin had never seen before: she got the impression that this was more to Jay than just a room. But still, she wasn't about to stand in front of him, watching as he drank into an oblivion. She took a step closer to the Prince, her hands positioned out in front of her- she had to take the bottle away from him. Aside from the fact a whisky hangover wasn't pretty, Erin felt obliged because it would be _her_ who would have to deal with him in the morning.

As she got closer to where Jay stood, Erin could tell how tense his body way. He stood against the cabinet, like the furniture was holding up his weight. He was breathing heavily and that meant she could hear it, given that the room was so quiet. Without saying anything, Erin reached towards him and tugged the bottle from his grip.

Jay only looked on as she did so, not putting up the fight she had expected. He still seemed frozen in position as Erin pushed it onto one of the shelves next to them, after securing the bottle top back on. As she pulled away from the furniture, Erin could tell that the whisky Jay'd poured down his throat had gone straight to his head.

He wasn't standing on his own, his breath still being released in long and harsh exhales. Erin wondered how long they'd been down in the secluded storage room: her cell phone battery was long gone so she could no longer check.

"I wanna go for a walk," the Prince spoke suddenly, pulling himself away from where he was leaning.

"I think that could be the most ridiculous thing you've ever said," _and you've said a lot of fucking ridiculous things_ she wanted to add. After she'd spoken, Jay seemed to realize what he had actually just suggested.

"Yeah," a small chuckle left his throat. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"But I don't think we can stay hiding here all night either," Erin replied. It had to have been at least a few hours since they'd disappeared from the rest of the evening's guests.

"Why not?" he had an answer to this, clearly feeling at home in the room. "It's much better down here anyway. I don't have to deal with my nagging family-"

"You don't mean that," Erin interrupted, knowing it was the alcohol talking.

"I think you…you'll f-f-find," Jay messed up a few of his words, unsurprising given how much- and in how little time- he'd downed from the bottle. "I'd rather be stuck…down here…with you…any day." By the end of his reply, it looked as though Jay couldn't keep his eyes open- and when they were Erin couldn't see what state they were in anyway. It also sounded like he'd developed hiccups, small gasps of air getting trapped in his throat.

Erin told herself she knew it was the intoxicated version of the Prince talking to her, although she still found herself sweaty-palmed at the thought of a compliment. The drunk version of the guy she was working for certainly gave Erin the impression that he didn't _hate_ spending time with her.

"Listen, Erin," her ears pricked up as he spoke because Jay suddenly sounded completely sober, although that was impossible. Especially when he'd also been drinking from champagne flutes as he greeted his guests. Like he was just topped up his alcohol level. "About tonight…I j-just wanted to say-"

Jay was interrupted as the last word left his mouth when the light above them illuminated- the power of the city coming back.

"Oh!" the new level of brightness surprised Erin and she jumped backwards, only then just realizing how close she'd been standing to him. Their chests had been barely a few inches apart. The Prince's arms hung in mid-air with his hands outspread as though they'd been about to touch her bare shoulders. At her outburst though, Jay's arms quickly found their way back to his sides and he cleared his throat dramatically as though to make them both forget the movement.

For a minute, the silence between them was taught, with neither saying a word.

"What were you going to say?" After her eyes adjusted, Erin looked over at him. At some point in the darkness, the Prince had loosened his thin black tie and it now hung low around his unbuttoned collar. The bottom of his shirt was also untucked: Jay resembled a less professional version of himself.

"Oh," he audibly cleared his throat. "That…uh…was nothing. Let's head back to the palace."

* * *

Erin awoke the next morning feeling surprisingly fresh. And, because she didn't have to set an alarm, she rolled onto her other side to give herself five more minutes. She could just close her eyes and drift back…

A loud thud, knocking three times, forced her eyelids awake. _Who could need her so early?_

The clock that Erin kept beside her bed told her it was only five past nine in the morning. Back in Chicago, she probably was witness to such a time about four times a year. But she wasn't in Chicago anymore so… Pulling on a near pair of yoga pants, she walked briskly and barefoot towards her bedroom door.

The last person she expected to see this early was the very person who stood before her.

"Jay," caught off guard- literally- she addressed the Prince in a very informal way. "What is it?"

 _Had he got something scheduled that had completely slipped her mind? What was so important that the Prince had to prize her from the comfort of her chamber on a lazy morning?_

He was dressed the most casual she'd ever seen him: a slogan-bearing green T-shirt and grey joggers. As she'd been speaking, the Prince had leaned against her doorframe and was clearly making an effort to see inside her bedroom.

"I'm hungry," he said simply, folding his arms across his chest.

Erin scoffed: and _why_ exactly was he telling her this? There were plenty of cooks downstairs in the kitchen who could fix that problem. She joined him in the movement of folding her arms across her chest.

"I am not paid to cook your breakfast," she said matter-of-factly, thinking she had got the better of him.

Jay laughed then, a one ending with a smirk. "I don't want you to cook me anything. I'm _hungover_. I want a fry-up."

"A what?"

"Just…" he looked down at her legs that were half hidden with something he expected to see in a gym. "Get dressed, will you? I need some food and you've gotta accompany me, right?"

Whilst she was getting ready, Erin contemplated why getting a specific breakfast was _so_ important to the Prince. She wasn't surprised by his hangover feeling yet didn't understand why he was out of bed so early if he felt bad.

She found a fresh flannel in her closet and paired it with black jeans. Her boots were certainly needed, given how bad the weather was yesterday. Grabbing a coat, Erin had a quick glance in the mirror. Some remnants of last night's make-up still lay around her eyes but she didn't care today. She walked along the hallway, halting suddenly when she collided with the Prince. Or what she thought was the Prince because he certainly didn't resemble himself.

"What the…" was the beginning of her sentence, although she wasn't exactly sure how to finish it. She could tell it was Jay because he was wearing clothes she'd seen before: faded blue jeans and a black polo shirt. But as she looked at his face, he was barely recognizable. He was sporting what looked like a fake moustache and an odd pair of glasses. "Why are you wearing those?" she laughed, finding his new appearance amusing.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough," Jay replied and then he produced two baseball caps from behind him. He offered one- a black and red one with _Harrison Motors_ sewn onto the front- to her. "I'm gonna need you to put this on."

She frowned but did it anyway and watched as he did the same.

The reasoning for Jay's odd behavior and appearance became apparent as they both reached the entrance. Although it was barely after 9:30 in the morning, the smell of old men and beer was already rife in the air. _Why the hell would the Prince want to come to a place like this?_

Obviously other people were here for breakfast too and Jay led the way, fighting through the crowd to find a table. There only appeared to be one available right in the back corner. Erin looked around her before turning her attention to the Prince. She clicked her tongue. "You wore that disguise so nobody would recognize you in here."

"Bingo," he replied. "You have no idea how good it feels to come in here and just be able to fade into the background. I've been doing it for years and nobody has any idea." As he finished the sentence, he caught the waitress's attention. "Two English breakfasts and an extra bacon butty please," he'd been able to drop the regal-sounding accent slightly, not even sounding like himself.

Erin snorted. "Did you just say _butty_?"

"Yeah," he said. "What's so funny?"

"Butt is another word for ass, you know that right?"

It was his turn to laugh and he clapped his hands together for effect. "Well I can assure you that a bacon butty has absolutely nothing to do with ass. Or _arse_ as it's said on this side of the world."

"Got it. And what's an English breakfast?"

"Oh you'll see soon enough. Trust me."

Erin couldn't believe just how many different foods were put together on her plate when it was brought over ten minutes later. And there were actually things on there that she'd never seen before.

"Try the bacon," the Prince told her, motioning to the two large rashers in the middle of her dish.

It definitely didn't taste like the bacon she was use to but… "Oh my God, this is incredible!" And she probably preferred it to the one she'd been eating for so long.

"This is the kind of place everybody comes to cure a hangover. I get that I could get this food in the palace kitchens but it's not the same as this freedom."

"I get that," Erin replied, between mouthfuls. Her reply was truthful because she knew now how demanding the schedule of a Royal could be. So she couldn't blame Jay for wanting to do something like this. What she couldn't understand was why he wanted to do it in a place like _this_.

Maybe that was the point though: coming somewhere like this because it was so far from his reality.

"My father would die if he came into a place like this," the Prince told her as he looked around. He pulled the cap further down his face. "Actually, come to think of it, any member of my family would think the same."

Erin chewed on her lip. "What about your mother?"

She watched as Jay gulped but then felt relieved when he chuckled, as though he was reliving a memory. "My mother was a commoner, she was probably raised around places like this. She would perhaps come in here for a beer or to talk with the customers. Mum was a people pleaser and it didn't matter to her what walk of life they came from. A beggar, a duke or somebody on benefits of the state, it didn't matter to her."

Erin nodded. "What was her name?"

"Eleanor, but she insisted on being called Ellen by everybody." Jay moved his cutlery aimlessly around the empty plate, distracting himself. Then remaining quiet.

A gust of wind blew by outside the window, stealing the Prince's attention. When he eventually came back into the conversation, Erin felt as though the public façade was back. Something that always happened when Jay was in danger of showing true emotion. He wouldn't allow himself to do so in such a public place.

"Are you done?" he changed the conversation topic completely. "This fucking moustache is itchy. We should head back home."

 **Please Review!**


	7. Driving Lessons

It was getting close to Christmas and- just like the weather and injury- illness also didn't discriminate against who it affected. It was the first week of December and the younger Prince was infected with flu, meaning he'd had to cancel numerous public engagements. For those that were still going ahead, Prince Patrick of his older son had stepped in, or they'd left the duties to a lesser Royal such as a second cousin or a Duke-of-somewhere, someone that didn't reside in the palace.

For Erin though- because Jay remained in the palace- she had a lot of free time. While it was cold, she spent several hours of the day in the most unlikely of places: the palace library. A solo room that was bigger than her entire apartment back in Chicago, somebody in the palace so obviously treasured it.

Three of the walls were consumed entirely, floor to ceiling, of books although it wasn't these Erin was most interested in. Her attention was mostly drawn to the electronics that lined the remaining wall: the Royal family _obviously_ had a room full of the latest Apple and Sony products to exist. Her favorite spot of which was the corner monitor, where she was least likely to be disturbed.

She'd been sitting for the past hour in that very place, chewing for the past ten minutes on an annoying piece of skin that had come loose around her thumb. Though it didn't taste half as good as what it was supposed to be substitute for: Erin had taken to biting her nails and fidgeting with what she could because she couldn't have the fix she really wanted.

 _Yes_ she still though about the drugs, daydreaming of the familiar and euphoric feeling she got after taking something. She thought about it especially, when she was alone. Not wanting to catch the flu from Prince Jay meant she was alone for most of the week. To distract herself, Erin switched on the computer monitor, getting comfortable and curling her legs beneath her.

Prince Patrick had provided her with a password for the computers but, remembering what had occurred with her cell phone, Erin knew that whatever she went onto wasn't private. First, she opened the internet browser to check if there was anything of interest happening in Chicago. _There wasn't._ Although she wasn't patrolling the streets of that city any longer, her subconscious brain ensured it was the first thing she checked. Plus, she would be flying back for Christmas soon so needed to be kept in the loop.

Her fingers hovered eagerly over the monitor keyboard. Before she could stop herself, Erin had typed _"Ellen Halstead"_ into the search bar.

It didn't surprise her that the first result to come up was the very one she was looking for. Erin's fingers hovered over the cursor before she clicked onto anything: _what would the internet have to say about her?_ She remembered the private conversation with the young Prince, and how he'd told her that the media had spun stories.

The website flashed in front of her with an image of Jay, as a baby, being held by his mother with his father and brother at their side. Erin's eyes fell upon the woman.

 _Fuck, she had been pretty._

Her dark hair hung in curls over her shoulders and she wasn't looking at the camera but at the baby in her arms. Erin gulped: the article author had obviously chosen the image with reason and it was having its desired effect. It was almost in complete contrast though, to the words that were written underneath:

ROYAL PRINCESS KILLED IN FATAL CAR CRASH- BUT WHO WAS THE MYSTERIOUS MAN KILLED ALONGSIDE HER?

"Jesus," Erin said aloud to herself as she scrolled. Jay and his family had probably read this and it wasn't a nice article for her and she wasn't even involved.

"What did he do this time?" a voice from the opposite corner made her jump. Then she heard a snigger, a rather disgusting sniff and Prince Jay came into view. He pulled a handkerchief from his pants pocket and held it against his nose.

"Huh?" Erin startled, her hand rushing towards the mouse to change the screen and pretend she'd been looking at something else.

"I said…" the Prince still didn't sound like himself, his nose bunged up and his tone sounding scratchy. "Never mind. What are you doing?"

"Nothing," she replied, too quickly, apprehensive and not wanting him to think she'd been snooping. "Shouldn't you still be in bed?" she most certainly did _not_ want to catch the disease from him.

Jay grunted as he walked over to where she sat and then leaned against the desk. "Believe me, that's definitely where I wanna be." He sniffed again, his face contorting as he spat something into the tissue. He laughed a little when Erin shifted in her chair away from him. "Relax, this is man flu. You can't get it."

She let out a giggle. " _Man flu?_ Oh please-"

"Hey, it's a thing!" he protested. Jay leaned over towards her computer monitor. If he had caught a glimpse of what she'd been looking at, he didn't say anything. "I didn't get out of bed from choice. We've been summoned," he rolled his eyes.

"We?" Erin frowned. "By who?"

"My father," Jay told her, standing again. "He wants us in the breakfast room in ten minutes."

Erin moved to switch off her computer she'd been using. Since Jay's honest conversation, she had found herself spending less and less time with Patrick but she couldn't avoid her employer if he called for her.

She followed a spluttering and forever-coughing-and-sneezing Prince Jay down three corridors and a flight of stairs to reach where they were wanted. Erin was about to knock upon the door and wait but Jay strode straight into the room, shoving his handkerchief into one of his pockets.

Prince Patrick was seated at the furthest end of the table, in the company of his parents, Queen Katherine and Prince Henry as well as Will and Nina. Robert was there too.

"What's going on?" Jay asked before he'd even say down.

His older brother and wife-to-be looked as confused as Erin felt.

"A few things," Patrick cleared his throat and spoke loudly. He then went through a list of upcoming engagements and Erin struggled to keep count. At least she'd be reminded nearer the time. "Robert has decided to retire. Next week will be his last."

"What?" this addition to the conversation seemed to make Jay come to life. "But who's going to replace you?"

The question was aimed at the driver but Patrick answered first. "We will, of course, be holding interviews for our next chauffer although I'm sure Robert will be almost impossible to replace," he paused and looked over at Erin. "I was thinking, for now, you could take over the role and drive the two of you to Jay's engagements? We will, of course, pay you extra."

"Me?" Erin gulped, thinking about sitting behind a driver's wheel that would be on the wrong side of the car. "I don't have any experience driving on the right," she admitted.

"Oh, yes, I forgot you do things very differently on the other side of the pond," Patrick laughed but looked to be hiding annoyance. "Yes well, never mind, Will or I could teach you-"

"Well that's definitely not happening," Jay butted in. "Will never drives faster than 30 and if you think I'm letting _you_ get behind the wheel in the same car as Erin then you can think again."

"And what is that supposed to mean exactly?" Patrick's face had turned sour. "I'm the best driver I know."

"So is that why you accompanied Mum to that charity ball on that stormy night then? Oh wait, you _didn't_ do that! You just let some other guy drive her and get them both killed!" Jay had found a low blow and he knew it but screamed at his father anyway.

"James! Don't you dare speak to your father that way!" Queen Katherine jumped out of her chair, an open palm slamming against the huge oak table. After she'd spoken, a tense silence filled the room and Erin watched the eye-contact war Jay was having with his father.

He stood up suddenly, drawing in a long breath. "If Erin needs to learn to drive, I'll be the one to teach her. This conversation is over." He gave Erin a look that told her she should follow him. He didn't speak again until they were out of the room, although Erin could still hear the conversation continuing without them.

"No time like the present," when he wasn't shouting at the top of his voice, Jay still sounded sick.

"Now?" Erin wasn't in the mood, especially for something that definitely required her full attention and use of her brain. She thought about playing it off on him. "Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" _He'd coughed about a hundred times in her presence._ Erin had presumed all he would want to do is go back to bed.

"There's no way I'm letting my father be in the same car as you if he's in the driver's seat," he cleared his throat loudly, as if to suggest he was feeling better. Then he clasped his hands together over-excitedly. "Let's get the Range Rover."

* * *

"Whose car is this?" Erin gulped, staring at the car in front of her. It was the size of what she would call a truck back home though it was definitely a hella lot more expensive. As she leaned closer to it, her face even reflected in the motor's exterior.

"It's mine," the young Prince told her, proudly. "If you crash it then I guess it comes out of your pay check," he laughed, reaching into his pocket to grab the key fob. That in itself resembled something like a credit card, further reinforcing to her how expensive it must have been.

Erin laughed off his comment, despite her insides resembling jello. There were _so_ many things that could go wrong. "So how many people have you taught to drive?" she asked, at the same time Jay motioned for her to get in the car. On the opposite side to what she was used to.

"None," he got in the car after her, sliding into the passenger side.

She turned her head to face him. "What do you mean, _none_?" Erin was about to quiz him on what the hell he was thinking but then she frowned as her left foot came into contact with something. "What the… _why_ is there an extra pedal?!"

The Prince muttered something under his breath- she didn't catch it but swore he had said Americans- before breaking into belly laughter, clapping his hands with comedy effect. "Everybody drives manual cars here…we aren't lazy," he said through his chuckles. "I suppose that's the biggest difference," he continued and leaned forward slightly to point. "Clutch, brake, accelerator, left to right."

As he resumed normal position, his hand rested on the gear stick in the middle of them. "This is what you use with the clutch pedal," he looked over at Erin, softening his features when he saw the apprehensive look on her face. "You don't need to panic," he attempted to reassure her. "The car will tell you when you need to change gear. And if it doesn't, I will."

They both reached around for the seatbelts, fastening them into place.

"I'm guessing you don't need me to tell you how to start the car," he smiled, one of his one-sided smirks but didn't look at her.

Erin was confused for a second before she caught sight of a Stop|Start button on the lower dashboard. Even as she only hovered an index finger over it, the car sprung into life. It was only around 10 seconds before the dashboard was fully lit and something beneath her heated her ass.

Before she had the opportunity to ask Jay where she should head to, an automated voice interrupted.

" _Good afternoon Your Highness…_ "

Erin's mouth hung open as the car continued to detail the current weather, frequent destinations and how much gas was in the tank. When it paused, she blew out a breath.

"You have your car programmed to call you _"Your Highness"_? Do you need any more of an ego boost?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he protested. "I did it as a joke but now I can't figure out how to change it. Don't know a lot about cars."

Erin scoffed. "Well that's reassuring," she said sarcastically.

"I'm kidding!" the Prince held his hands up in defence. "You need to keep your left foot over the clutch always. Well, until we're on a motorway-"

"Motorway?"

"Okay, _highway_ or whatever you call it but we probably won't do that today. We could just stay in the palace grounds," Jay shook his head, realizing he was getting distracted. "Your right foot changes between the brake and the gas," he put on an American accent for the last word, over-emphasizing the sound.

He explained to her how to move forward- by finding the balance between acceleration and clutch and how to take off the hand brake when she was ready. Erin put the 4x4 into its first gear and they shot forwards, to the sound of Jay's laughter.

"Not bad," he said, pointing towards the gravelled space in front. "Now, drive towards that building and I'll tell you when to turn."

Erin followed his instruction, surprised that she was managing to navigate the vehicle at all. The changing position of her foot felt weird.

"Now turn left," Jay said to her, without making further comment about her driving. She did as he said, turning the when so they faced a new direction. As Erin continued at a slower pace, Jay continued to speak.

"Now! Press down hard on the brake and clutch!" he said, with too much urgency.

Though her limbs were already hovering above the pedals, Erin had a sudden panic when she couldn't remember which was which. The car halted abruptly, causing them both to fly forwards in their seats before the belts locked.

"That's an emergency stop," the Prince informed her. "You know, for emergencies."

Erin laughed then, he'd clearly been stating the obvious. He reminded her how to start up the vehicle again before they drove around the palace's courtyards. After twenty minutes or so, Jay told her to kill the engine.

He clasped his hands together and laughed. "Not bad," he repeated, reaching to unbuckle his seatbelt. "Don't know if I can trust you on the motorway yet but I'm impressed. I thought you'd crash into a wall or something."

Erin's mouth opened in feigned surprise but really she agreed with him: she was shocked that the existence of an extra pedal hadn't thrown her more. And she definitely agreed about not being ready for the "motorway" as Jay called it. Although she'd been involved in some pretty mean car chases back in Chicago, she for sure needed more practise here. Especially if she was responsible with the Prince in tow.

"Just got to park her up in the garage so I'll see you in a bit."

Erin nodded- obviously not trusted enough yet to manoeuvre the Prince's prized possession into its safe place. She unclipped her safety belt and jumped from the car, her boots landing on the gravelled ground with a thud.

By the angle Erin got out of the vehicle, she could tell they were at the opposite side of the palace. She listened to the rhythmic sound of the stones crunching beneath her shoes until she almost collided with the door that appeared in front of her.

"Oh shit," she said, clumsily, just about stopping herself from planting the door with her face. As she pulled the door open, Erin soon realized she was in the part of the palace that housed Queen Katherine and her husband.

The two members of the family she worked for that she had spent the least amount of time with. There was obvious reason for why she didn't see them as much: they had the most public engagements and were in the highest demand to be seen by the people. But they also happened to be the two who intimidated her the most.

 _Jay's grandmother was literally Queen of the freaking country._ Erin let that slip her mind sometimes. As she walked further along the corridor that would take her back to the central corridors of the palace, she heard another pair of footsteps heading towards her. When she lifted her eyes level, she caught sight of Queen Katherine hurrying around the corner.

"Erin!" she sounded flustered. "Have you seen my grandson?" She came to an abrupt stop, the train on her elegant dress lying on the carpet behind her. Without the heels on that she usually accompanied her dress with, she was the same height as Erin. Her eyes were wide, like she needed an answer pronto.

"I was just with him," Erin replied, although she couldn't tell his exact whereabouts now. "He said he was going to park up his car," she gulped, not knowing how much to disclose.

"Right," the Queen's voice was taught, she sounded impatient. "My son requires his attention so if you find him before I do-" something appeared to distract the older woman and instead of finishing her sentence, she scurried off around another corner out of Erin's sight.

" _Okay_ ," Erin mouthed to herself and continued in the direction she'd been heading. When she found the more familiar corridors, she also found the younger Prince, dragging his feet and heading towards the palace kitchens.

"Jay!" she found herself running quickly to catch up with him, only slowing her pace when she was beside him. "I saw your grandmother. Your father is looking for you-"

"Yeah I know. But he can wait a little while longer," Jay said, taking deep breaths. "Why does he need to see me again? Isn't once in the day enough?" he sounded deadly serious.

"Maybe it's important," Erin felt stuck on the middle. She suddenly noticed the distinct aroma in the air around them, it burned her nostrils because it was familiar, but she hadn't smelled it recently. Her glance shot towards him. "What the hell were you doing outside?"

The younger Prince shrugged. "It was only one blunt. _Relax_. Besides," he laughed and waggled a dinger, making the smell of marijuana disperse further. "I'm gonna need it to knock the edge off if I need to see my father again." He continued to walk, chuckling occasionally, and Erin followed a step behind.

 _He was a grown-ass man for fuck's sake_ she thought _she couldn't be left in charge of his recreational activity._ Plus, he'd dismissed her from outside so how was she supposed to know he'd been smoking?

They reached the drawing room- where Prince Patrick had requested to meet his son- and Jay leaned against the door.

"Are you coming in?" his voice had changed and it now sounded softer.

Erin shook her head. "This isn't my business," she insisted, her eyes and head motioning in the opposite direction. "I should-"

Before Erin could move, Jay reacted, grabbing with his hand for her own. He missed and took a firm hold around her slim wrist. "Please," something in his tone soon had her following him into the large room.

Jay's father was seated at the head of the table, drumming his fingers impatiently against the wooden surface. As the door closed behind them he looked up, his face showing little emotion.

"There you are," he raised an eyebrow but didn't smile and turned his attention to her. "Erin," he shuffled in his chair, resting his elbows against the table. "Thank you for accompanying Jay to the room. I don't know how long I would have been waiting otherwise," he commented slyly. "You can go-"

"She's staying," Jay stated simply, making as much noise as possible when he dragged out one of the heavy chairs to sit on.

"As you wish," Patrick looked as though he didn't have the energy to argue.

Erin gulped, watching as the younger Prince pulled out another chair for her to occupy. She could already tell the tension was high in the room before their conversation had even begun.

"Now," Patrick cleared his throat but ended up coughing. _Illness was fast spreading in the palace._ "What on earth is that smell?" he wrinkled his nose. "Smoking _that_? On the palace grounds?" His face did change this time, to a look of disapproval.

Jay's mouth opened and closed several times but the other two occupants of the room didn't hear anything. So there was quiet until…

"That would be my fault Your Highness," Erin said suddenly. "I found this last bit at the bottom of my suitcase…I shouldn't have given it to Jay but he looked like he needed it. I'm sorry."

She ignored the _what-the-fuck?!_ look Jay was currently giving her, focussing instead of his father.

Patrick couldn't hide his surprise, but that quickly changed to an unimpressed look. "You're lucky I like you Erin," he said, scowling. "Supplying my son with drugs is a sackable offense. If it happens again-"

"It won't," Erin said firmly, then regretted interrupting. That was even _more_ rude, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Jay looked as though he was about to protest but his father butted back into the conversation first. "Yes, well, back to the matter at hand," Patrick's attention moved from Erin to his son. "James," _Erin got the impression Patrick only called his son this to piss him off._ "It has come to my attention that you are yet to find a date for Will's wedding next week," he paused, waiting for a reaction but Jay didn't give him one. "So I have lined up a few –shall we call them- _outings_ with possible matches for you," he sounded proud, like he enjoyed having control over Jay's life. "The first one will be this afternoon with a Miss Cassandra Davidson. Her father is a well-known investment banker so I'm sure the two of you will be well suited."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jay finally bit back, leaning forward in his chair. "It's not even _my_ fucking wedding so why do I have to have a date?" he brought down a palm to collide with the table, so hard it made Erin jump.

"Don't you give a damn about your reputation, Jay?" Patrick sighed, shaking his head.

Jay scoffed. "So you think I have to parade around the bloody chapel with some random chick on my arm so I have a better reputation? You're tapped, _Dad_."

"Don't you take that tone with me!" Patrick was standing now and struggling to keep his cool. "Ms Davidson will arrive at the palace in the next hour and I strongly suggest you are there to meet her. Or else."

"Are we done here? Are we finished? Can I like…go?" Jay was already moving and Erin, not wanting to stay alone in Patrick's company, decided to follow him. She closed the door behind her and gasped when Jay suddenly strode towards her so she stumbled back until she was pushed against the wall.

He put up an arm either side of her and blew out a long breath. "You didn't have to do that."

"Do what?" Erin found herself temporarily confused before remembering what he was getting at. The rather heated discussion between Jay and his father meant her mind was side tracked.

"Take the blame for the week. That wasn't your fault." His eyes lowered, looking towards the floor before making eye contact with her again. "Your eyes," he whispered after a minute. "Have they always been so _blue_?"

She cleared her throat. "Uhh, yes," she replied, blinking. It was a strange comment and Erin knew he was only speaking in the heat of the moment. "Maybe," she cleared her throat again for it felt like there was something stuck there. "Maybe you should meet with that girl this afternoon," she said.

Erin watched him recoil slightly at her comment, bringing his arms back to hang by his sides. "Why do you say that?" his eyes narrowed as he waited for her answer.

 _Why did she say that? So somebody else could watch out for him whilst she went home for Christmas?_ "Because then maybe your Dad will stay off your back for a while."

Jay blew a childish raspberry to show his disagreement. "Yeah _right_ ," he rolled his eyes. "But what if-"

"And," Erin wriggled past him, walking up the first two steps on the flight of stairs in front of them. "Perhaps," _why was there a lump in her throat again that didn't want to budge?_ She attempted to swallow it away. "You don't want to go to your brother's wedding alone, do you? Just," she took another two steps but walked backwards so she didn't turn her back on him. "You may as well meet with her and see how it goes. She could be great and not what you're expecting. I'll get the details about her this evening," she laughed at her own comment, at the same time as trying to hide a _weird_ feeling in the pit of her stomach.

 _What the fuck was that?_ If Jay had passed onto her his bug, she was gonna kill him. The last thing she wanted was to be sick too.

Erin reached the top of the stairs, heading to her chambers to relax and wait until the Prince needed her next.

The top of the stairs, a small distance away from the Prince and not near enough to hear Jay as he said quietly:

" _But what if she's not the one I wanna go with?"_

 **Please Review!**


	8. Chicago

There was only one good thing about her flight back to Chicago so far, and that was the fact she had a window seat. Erin sat with one leg up on her seat, her head leaning against the uncomfortable cushion that was supposed to offer her some comfort. She closed her eyes, wishing she´d taken up Prince Patrick on his offer of upgrading her to business class. Perhaps she would have been able to find a position she could sit in for more than five minutes.

Clearly, sleep wasn't gonna come to her anytime soon so Erin opened her eyes and stared out of the small window. There wasn't much point in that either: she´d chosen the overnight flight so the outer atmosphere was dark, painting the sky a deep purple. It reminded her of the last time she´d spent looking out of the window…

 _She´d been in her bedroom when she´d heard the commotion outside. Curious, Erin had moved from lounging on top of her comforter to the window in her room that ran from floor to ceiling. An unfamiliar car had pulled up on the gravel outside, one of the rear doors opening. She´d watched from behind the lengthy curtain as a tall, blonde woman came into view and strode towards the palace._

 _Erin rolled her eyes: the high heels and short skirt the girl was wearing didn't exactly paint her as the high-class millionaire heiress that Patrick had made her out to be. But her face was pretty nonetheless so Erin knew she must be here to see Prince Jay._

 _Her long tanned legs meant it only took her a few steps to disappear from Erin´s sight._

 _After two hours had passed- and Erin had exhausted most other options to cure her boredom- she couldn't take it any longer. She hadn't heard the engine of any vehicle stopping or starting which meant the Prince´s guest was still at the palace._

 _It was unusual to Erin that she had so much free time s she rolled off the bed and made her way out of the room. She headed downstairs first, wondering if they have met in one of the elegant lounges. They hadn't, and the only person Erin found on that floor was Jay´s father. And she had been too late to run away in the opposite direction…_

" _Ahh, Erin!" Patrick gave her an overbearing grin that gave her the impression he didn't mean it. "I was wondering where you had got to," he clasped his hands together in front of his chest, the white cuffs of his pristine shirt poking through the expensive suit. "How has your afternoon been?"_

 _She figured he was asking to be nosy rather than out of curtesy. "In my bedroom," she said truthfully. "I was just looking for Jay-"_

" _Isn´t it wonderful? Miss Davidson is still here so I guess I made a good choice," he spoke as though impressed with himself, chuckling._

 _Erin didn't laugh, realizing the weird feeling in her stomach was back, the feeling she didn't have a fucking clue how to get rid of. It was one that she wasn't at all familiar with but she was beginning to notice that it occurred whenever the same thing was concerned. Jay. But that was probably to be expected, right? She´d never been in charge of spending so much time with someone, especially in such a close proximity._

 _That's definitely what the feeling is_ she´d told herself, _a sign that she was just beginning to care for the guy she was employed to watch over._

 _When she´d eventually seen Jay- hours after she´d seen his ´date´ and had a run in with Prince Patrick- she hadn't been expecting it. To pass the time that she wasn't spending with the young Prince, Erin had started on her packing, knowing she would be returning to Chicago later in the week._

 _Just as she´d thrown one of her favorite flannels into the suitcase, the door of her chamber had burst right open and Jay had hurried into the room. It had taken him a few moments to realize what she was in the middle of._

" _What are you doing?" he asked her, sinking down into the chair at her bedside and helping himself to a piece of gum, a packet of which she always kept at her bedside._

 _Erin thought what she was doing looked pretty self-explanatory but she replied anyway. "I´m packing," she said, still continuing to do so, even in the Prince´s presence. "How did it go with-"_

" _So you´re not going to stay for my brother´s wedding?" he turned towards her, watching as she threw more contents of her closet into the holdall._

 _At this comment she paused, shaking her head. "That´s a family thing," she insisted, narrowing her eyes because she couldn't read the look on his face. "What?"_

" _Nothing," the Prince averted his eyes, staring instead at the heaped mess she had piled on the bed. "Just," a thought came to him and it showed on his face. "I can´t be the one to blame if you see photographs of me on the internet looking trashed," his eyebrows raised and he made eye contact with Erin again._

 _She wore a pained expression, only briefly, before rolling her eyes. "Don´t do that," she said, throwing a pair of black biker boots into the suitcase._

" _Do what?" the younger Prince feigned innocence but Erin knew he knew what he was doing._

" _Try to guilt trip me into staying."_

 _Jay puffed out a long breath. "I´m not trying to guilt trip you. In fact, I'll tell you outright. I want you to stay."_

 _His comment stopped her in her tracks, frozen between Jay and the bed. Though she´d had her back to him, Erin didn't need to look at him to get the sense that he´d meant it. "Jay," she spun slowly to face him, her arms full with the next pile of clothes she planned to put away. "It´s only a couple of weeks-"_

" _But what do you have waiting for you at home?" Was there a hint of jealousy in his tone? "Don´t you have everything you could ever need here?" He stood up, gesturing around him with his hands. "I know my family can be a lot to handle because that´s what I think myself. But surely that doesn't mean you have to leave? I thought you would be celebrating with us," he shrugged._

" _I have friends to see," that was a lie because- aside from maybe two people- Erin didn't want to see anybody in Chicago. Those that she had let into her personal life before her move to England were people she didn't want to see anymore. Because the majority of them were bad people who she´d once thought were good. The drug lords, the alcoholics, the ones who´d once satisfied her need for sex… "…and an apartment to go back to," the last comment was only a half-lie: she did indeed have an apartment there but it wasn't like she needed to go back. She´d only kept it for times like now, or if she´d changed her mind about the job._

 _Prince Jay let out a grunt. "Friends that haven't even spoken to you in the past three months?" he shook his head. Then paused for a moment, reflecting on his comment. "Sorry," he muttered. "That was unfair," he looked up, seeing that Erin was nodding her agreement. It had been a pretty harsh thing for even a spoilt Prince to say. "I just expected you to be here, that´s all."_

" _You won´t even notice I'm gone," Erin attempted a joke, not knowing whether it would be received well or not. She watched as Jay stood up from where he sat, nodding his head. "You can fill your time with all those girls your dad has lined up for you, right?" She´d been joking again but even Erin wasn't laughing this time._

" _Yeah, at least there´s … that," was his half-hearted reply. Jay took a survey of what Erin was packing then reached into his jeans to retrieve his cell phone. His eyes widened at the time. "I have to go. I have a radio appearance with my Grandfather-"_

" _You didn't tell me that, that´s great!" Erin had come to know that Prince Henry was the most tolerable royal that Jay wanted to make public appearances with._

 _The prince shook off her comment, his eyes rolling. "It´s…whatever. I´ll see you later, we´ve still got time before you leave."_

But, they hadn't. As a matter of fact, she´d ended up leaving sooner than she´d planned. Airlines and their stupid fucking timings and their stupid fucking prices.

She didn't know if Jay had intentionally stayed away from sight, knowing she was leaving. Obviously she´d wanted to say something, tell him to have a good Christmas, of course she would miss him. You couldn´t spend most of everyday with somebody for three months and not miss them a little.

But her taxi cab had been so insistent on leaving that she´d also forgotten some of her belongings as well as not finding the Prince. She´d jumped into the back of her ride, and taken a final look at the palace before it disappeared into the distance. Now she knew her way around, she knew the last window she would drive past would be Prince Jay´s. As she did, the thought of him ran through her mind… _did he intentionally not require her attention since he´d discovered she wasn't staying for the wedding or for Christmas?_ Something told her so. Sometimes Jay shared his mindset with a child, and it was definitely possible that he´d avoided a farewell.

Erin had turned around, exhaling and failing to notice a flutter of the curtains at the upstairs window, as though somebody had been watching the car as it disappeared.

* * *

 _Holy shit, her apartment was a mess._ The last time she´d been here was three months ago and that version of her obviously hadn't cared about what state she left the place in. Luckily, she´d remembered to take out the trash but that didn't excuse the fact there were dishes piled high on the clean end of the counter and clothes strewn along the back cushion of her couch.

Erin made it into her hallway and let go of the luggage she´d dragged up the two flights of stairs. The only thing she wanted to do right now was sleep until tomorrow, but she figured she would have to at least make an attempt to tidy some things away.

The time difference meant Erin had arrived back in Chicago at 7am but her body still felt on another continent. Trying to suppress that tiredness, Erin reached for the TV controller that she´d left lying on the coffee table. The object caused her to gulp as she remembered the last time she´d used the coffee table…to snort substance up her nose. The thought of which…she couldn´t, could she?

Sure, drugs had been clear of her system for the past three months- part of her job description included random drug tests and so she hadn't taken the risk. But that didn't mean the thought hadn't crossed her mind. She was on her holidays, right? Her own time.

There was just one problem: whatever technology they had at the palace meant her cell phone was now clear from dealer´s numbers. She had to have them written down somewhere…

After turning the apartment practically upside down and making more of a mess than she started with, Erin found the crumpled bits of paper she´d jotted several numbers on. The first one was the most familiar: _Tyler_. He would definitely be in supply. All she had to do was type his number into her phone…an annoying beep was all she heard from the other end when she did. It was such a shrill noise that Erin held the handset away from her ear.

The beeping was obviously for one of two reasons: either Tyler didn't possess this phone anymore or the palace had somehow blocked the number. She slammed a fist against the counter, hedging all her beds on the second option. _Of course the palace system would do something like this_.

Rather than attempting another number, Erin got sidetracked by the state of her kitchen. Her grumbling stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in a while because she despised airplane food. _Who would go near that shit? Gross._

There would be nothing in the refrigerator so she settled on some salted chips for now, she could order takeout later. There was no way she was going back out of the apartment today; it was so fucking cold.

The rest of the unpacking could wait. Right now, all she wanted to do is lounge on the couch. Once she´d changed into something a lot more comfortable, Erin threw herself onto the couch with no intentions of moving for the rest of the day.

The next thing Erin knew, she woke up with a start, feeling a lot hungrier than she´d been earlier. Seeing it had just gone 4 and she´d slept just over 5 hours when she probably shouldn't have, Erin reached for her cell phone, finding a take-out app. Like usual, but feeling as though she deserved it, she´d ordered far too much food for herself. At least it would last for another meal, she thought.

She must have taken a short nap again, woken this time by a consistent ringing from the apartment building´s main entrance. Erin shuffled her feet along the wooden flooring to the hallway, reaching the intercom that would allow her to speak with the delivery guy. "Hello?" she spoke into the microphone, her voice resembling somebody who´d just woken up. There was no reply. "Uhm, hello?" she said again, impatiently. Again, there was no reply and all she could hear was the echo of her own voice as it came through at the other end.

She couldn't be definitely sure it would be somebody delivering her food and for sure didn't want some weirdo wondering the halls of the apartment complex. Erin begrudgingly hung up the receiver, went back into the lounge to throw on a hoodie and started down the stairs, thinking of something to say to whomever was waiting at the other side of the door.

"If you´re not Chinese food, I´m not interest-" the breath seemed to clog in her throat when she pulled open the door. It _certainly_ wasn't Chinese food, nor a delivery guy.

"You know, you can get here in half the time if you use a helicopter," Prince Jay stood in front of her, shifting from left foot to right foot continuously.

At first, she hadn't been positive that it _was_ the Prince as he donned dark sunglasses and a coat that was pulled around his face. As soon as he´d started to speak though, Erin immediately recognized the accent and the voice.

He brought both hands in front of his face and blew on them. "It´s a bit cold, isn't it?" a shiver ran through him.

 _An understatement_. Erin hadn't realized her mouth had been hanging open. "Jay," she managed. "What are you…doing here?"

"I´ve never been to Chicago," he said casually, turning from his side angle to face her and pulling off his sunglasses.

Erin let out a gasp: the Prince had let his facial hair grow into the beginnings of a beard but that did little to tear her attention away from the yellowing patch beneath his right eye. "What happened?" her mouth hung low again and she was unable to hide her reaction. Whatever had happened, it looked painful.

"My brother happened," Jay had shoved his hands into his pockets of the coat he was wearing and leaned against the doorframe. "It´s whatever," he shrugged.

That seemed to be his favorite saying, a popular reaction to show how little he seemed to care about the situation.

Erin´s eyes widened as she calculated today´s date in her mind. "Will´s wedding," she trailed off, noticing only now that Jay was accompanied by a black hold-all on the floor, his initials in gold on the front. "Why…are you _here_?" she asked again, softer this time.

The door being open meant there was a more-than-cold draught, the wind of which felt like an icy slap in the face. Erin´s eyes darted towards his luggage… _oh God, was he expecting to stay?_ _Shit, the apartment was a fucking mess._

"Can we have this conversation inside?" he asked, his teeth chattering together.

Erin gulped to herself, in two minds about whether to let him in or not. She finally decided that she couldn't stand the temperature herself any longer so stepped back into the hallway, wrapping her arms around herself.

Jay nodded, picked up his bag and followed her direction slowly, closing the door behind him.

"I´m on the next floor," Erin told him, starting up the stairs. She closed her eyes temporarily as she continued, listening to how close her was following behind. A hundred questions clouded her thoughts. _What had happened between Jay and his brother? How did he know her address? What the bloody hell was he doing here?_

"You have a nice place," the Prince followed her through her narrow hallway and into the lounge. When he´d walked through the door, he bent a little to drop his bag on the floor and pulled off the beanie hat and jacket hood that had hidden his appearance from the outside world. He surveyed his surroundings for a minute, kicking off his winter boots and threw himself over the arm of the couch.

"Please, make yourself at home," Erin said to herself, kinda hoping he hadn't heard her over the noise of the TV.

"Oh I will," the young Prince replied but kept his attention on the television. "Got any beer?"

"I…uh…I don't think so," if she did, they certainly couldn't drink it, it would probably be out of date. "I might have some vodka-"

"A bit early, no?" he chuckled, his arm resting along the back of her couch. "What the _fuck_ am I saying? It's never too early!"

Erin chewed on the inside of her cheek. She still hadn't figured out why he was here and if he was trying to avoid that subject, she wasn't going to let him. "Okay," she blew out a breath, walked over to him and grabbed the TV controller out of his palm.

His mouth had formed a small 'o'. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"You don't just get to waltz in here, into my apartment-which, by the way, I have _no_ idea how you got my address- without any sort of explanation! And on the day after your brother's wedding. You should be celebrating! And what about…Cassandra?" Erin gulped, she hated that she hadn't remembered the 'date's' name right away because now it looked as though she cared about what had went down.

Quite frankly, she didn't. And now she'd started bombarding him with questions, she couldn't seem to stop. "Don't tell me you ran out on her, leaving her to…" she didn't know how to finish the sentence and luckily didn't have to, as she saw Jay shaking his head. "Then, why-"

"You think I'm that guy who takes a date to my brother's wedding, takes her back to my room to fuck her and then leave her in the palace to fly to a different country? Is that what you're thinking?" he was leaning forwards on the couch now, his elbows resting on his knees that were jumping up and down. "It's nice to know you have such a low opinion of me, Erin," Jay stood up now, standing opposite her. "I know the media has a low opinion of me but I didn't know you believed their bullshit too."

Erin swallowed: their conversation had rapidly fallen into dangerous territory. "I didn't mean…" she held up her hands, palms forward. "I just thought-"

"You just thought the same as everybody else," he continued, his shoulders sagging. "I _did_ go to my brother's wedding and I _did_ take Cassie but that was only because I didn't want my father on my back all day." He ran a hand through the thick stubble around his jawline. "…but I definitely didn't take her back to my bedroom and, last time I checked, I definitely didn't have sex with her."

Erin closed her eyes, trapping out the thought of Prince Jay spending time with any girl in his bedroom. She didn't know how to respond: _was Jay right in thinking she shared the same view as those who wrote stories about him for a living?_ Possibly to an extent. But she'd only come to that conclusion because of how many girls she'd actually seen exit his palace rooms.

She watched, as Jay walked to the other side of the couch towards where he'd dropped his luggage.

"You don't have to go," as she spoke his body jerked back up to face her.

Sure, it was pretty strange that he was here but he had travelled 4000 miles to find her for whatever reason. A reason she still had to find out.

Jay chuckled, quickly ignoring his luggage again and clasped his hands together. "I was hoping you would say that," he said quietly then reached for the woolly beanie he'd been wearing before. "Now, do you wanna show me Chicago?"

* * *

"I can't tell you," Prince Jay's voice was muffled as he gulped down the hot cider "…how good it feels," he took a bite of the German bratwurst Erin had told him to try. "…to go out in these streets and not be recognized."

"I'm betting you _would_ be recognized if you took off those glasses," Erin laughed, tearing off a piece of her own bread.

"Then I'm not gonna risk it," he said, wiping a crumb away from the corner of his mouth. The Prince looked around him: the festive markets Erin had brought him to in the center of town were full of people. "This is pretty neat," he nodded, seeming impressed. "I don't even care that I can't feel my fingers," he added.

"Welcome to Chicago," Erin joked- everybody said that about the city.

"Yeah, it's fucking freezing!" Jay polished off his snack and wrapped both hands around his hot cup of cider.

Erin had to agree, although she was more accustomed to it. "Most of the stuff to do here is outside," she told him, gesturing around her.

Jay still seemed to be looking at his surroundings. As his eyes clicked on something, she watched as his eyebrows raised. "Is that an ice rink?" a smirk worked its way across his face.

She groaned: so far Jay had witnessed how she could pick things up easily. Like driving on the other side of the car, adapting to living in another country, dealing with the media wanting to push her out of the way. Now he was about to witness just how fucking atrocious she was at ice skating.

"Come onnnn," Jay was already on the ice by the time Erin finally laced up her boots. In fact, he'd probably done a lap or so of the inside before he'd seen her approach the barrier. He skated flawlessly to the side where she was standing. "Surely you can't be that bad?"

"Trust me, I'm worse," Erin shrugged, avoiding looking at him. She pulled the coat she was wearing further onto her shoulders. "It'll probably be better if I watch-"

"No way," Jay frowned, one of his hands holding onto the barrier. "Here," he got the closest he could to the side without having to step off the ice. "Give me your hand."

Erin swallowed. The Prince's palm was open and stretched towards her. The top half of her body went first, taking a firm hold of Jay's hand before she even attempted to step onto the slippery surface. As soon as she'd stepped onto the blades, he tightened his grip just a little but she noticed it. Like he wasn't gonna let her fall.

"See?" he made jokes as they skated in an oval. "You're not so bad!"

"Please," she felt awkward already, _were all of these people staring?_ They drifted into small conversation as their laps continued. "Can we go?" a shiver ran through her and, though he didn't say anything, Jay was used to a slightly warmer temperature and would obviously feel the cold too.

"Sure," he shrugged, though didn't seem to mind. Then, he yawned. "How do we get back?"

They took a taxi cab. As they both approached her apartment building, Jay made a noise. "What's that?"

"Oh!" Erin noticed the white plastic bag in front of her apartment door. "I ordered Chinese food! I completely forgot," she'd been so preoccupied with the Prince's sudden and unexpected arrival that the ordering had completely slipped her mind. "It'll be cold and gross now."

"We can order another," Jay said. "On me." The price of takeout food probably wouldn't even put a dent in his back pocket. He picked up the food and walked past Erin into the apartment first. "Alright, what are we having?" he'd already made himself at home again, discarding his footwear and headwear by the side of the couch.

Erin leaned against her couch instead of choosing to sit. "Wait," she wanted him to be real about _why_ he was actually here. Sure, they'd had a fun afternoon but Erin hadn't forgotten that she wanted to know why he was actually here in Chicago. "We can order food as soon as you tell me what you're doing here."

"Do I have to have a reason?" Erin's question caught the Prince's attention and he turned from the couch to look over at where she was standing. "I take it by the look on your face that that answer isn't satisfactory enough for you," with a sigh he rose up from the couch, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans.

Erin shrugged: _was she really that easy to read?_ It seemed that way and she'd always thought herself to be somebody that could disguise her emotions. But he _was_ standing in her apartment right now, a look on his face that she definitely couldn't read.

"Will is spending his Christmas with Nina. My grandmother is spending her Christmas with my grandfather. My father is…spending his Christmas with the latest squeeze," Jay told her, though she probably already knew. Erin was familiar with the inhabitants of the palace.

"So that means you shouldbe spending your Christmas with-"

"If you _dare_ say the name of that date my dad organized for me, Erin, I swear I will-"

"Then why are you here? Why don't you want to be seeing in the festivities with your family?"

"Because," Jay took a few steps across the room, realizing he'd left barely a few centimeters between them. Thus far, she didn't seem stunned. "They're not the people I wanted to spend Christmas with."

"I…oh," _Oh._ Erin gulped away the lump that had lodged in her throat. "Me?"

"You." He was staring now, intensely into her eyes. The Prince brought a hand to face level and hesitated for a moment before he ran it through his hair. "These past few months, I have obviously appreciated how much you have done for me. But," there was a sudden pause for Jay didn't know quite how to finish his sentence. When Erin's puzzled expression didn't change, he chuckled. "You really don't know where I'm going with this?"

"I have an idea," her voice came out in a whisper although she hadn't meant it to. "But Jay-"

He cut her off right away, making her stumble backwards with such force that she collided with the wall. He'd held her in this position only once before- when she'd been the one to fight in his corner against his father. And she'd quickly escaped, feeling like he was dangerously close.

Nothing could have prepared her for his next movement. She felt her breathing increase its heaviness as he brought a hand to cup the right side of her face. _His hands were so freakin' smooth._ Within the next moment, his face had adjacently followed, his head tilted ever so slightly to the left. Before Erin had thought of anything coherent to say, the Prince was kissing her, his lips pressed softly against her own.

He tasted of hot cider and mints and something else she couldn't work out. And instead of pulling-herself-the-fuck back (the _only_ sane thing she should be doing right now) away from his taste, Erin found her eyes sliding closed as he pressed his warm body against her, making her well and truly stuck between him and the wall.

The existence of his stubble scratched against the corner of her mouth, bring her back to reality. _What the fuck was she doing?_ She couldn't be here in her apartment kissing the Prince! This was wrong on so many levels…

But then how could she explain how it felt so right?

"Stop," Erin exhaled a long breath, one that she hadn't wanted to breathe down his throat. She got the impression that the Prince was half-listening as she spoke, he did indeed back away but not physically, only with his mouth. Their foreheads were practically still touching.

"What is it?" he didn't need to speak any louder than a murmur though it sounded more like a whimper. There was a wounded undertone in his voice.

"I just…" Erin dropped her eyes, only for a minute, to the floor. She couldn't actually think of what to say to him, the memory of what had just happened had taken over all of the rational thought she had left. When she did look at Jay again, she found he had never broken the contact. His pupils were literally the size of his irises, Erin could barely tell the two colors apart. "I…" again, no other words would come out of her throat.

Something in her brain told Erin to _fuck the rational thought._ She took control this time, reaching behind the Prince to grab at the back of his neck so his head was at her again. She thought she heard a small chuckle escape him before she ran an index finger along the line of his lower lip. Jay's eyes narrowed slightly before she wasn't looking anymore, instead kissing him with force that Erin didn't even know she had inside her.

" _Fuck,_ " the younger Prince spoke after a minute when they both came back into the room. "You don't know how long I've waited and wanted to do that."

"And?" Erin laughed, not quite believing how she'd just let _that_ occur. "I don't know how to… am I …. I'm going to lose my job."

"No you're not," Jay had taken the lead again, even though they were in _her_ apartment. He'd taken hold of her hand and was walking, his head sneaking around the doorframe and Erin knew _exactly_ what he was looking for. "I'll make sure of that," he paused, a grin spreading across his face. "Besides, what if I don't want you to be my bodyguard anymore?"

 **Please Review!**


	9. Realization

Erin woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, desperate for a drink. Surprisingly, she wasn't mad about it: it wasn't as though she'd been having a great sleep anyway. She swung her legs from the bed first, her toes curling as she felt the coldness from the wooden floor work its way through her body.

She tiptoed into the hallway, her eyes darting towards the lounge instead of the kitchen. The door had been left ajar and Erin curled her fingers around it to stop it from moving- or creaking. Her head soon followed, but the darkness didn't allow her to see much.

She could hear the Prince's snores though and they only got louder as Erin neared where he was sleeping on the couch. Jay's body took up the entire length of the sofa, his legs crossed at the feet as they rested on the arm of her couch. The miniscule illumination from an outside streetlight cast a shadow over his upper body, allowing Erin to see how his T-shirt had ridden up in his slumber. And how he apparently slept with a constant frown on his face, his brow furrowing almost together as he continued to breathe heavily.

Erin stood just behind the couch- she probably looked kinda creepy- temporarily forgetting about her thirst. She folded her arms across her chest, chewing the inside of her lip. Erin realized she'd never seen the Prince so calm and quiet, given the fact he was usually awake when they were together.

She traced an index finger across her still-tender lips that had seen (and felt) so much action last night…

 _What if I don't want you to be my bodyguard anymore?_

Erin knew what the Prince had been getting at, of course, she wasn't stupid. But there was _no_ fucking way she could make a decision right there and then…she'd actually begun to like her job. _Could she really just throw all of that away for what he was suggesting?_

A movement in front of her caused her thoughts to freeze. Her eyes widened as she watched Jay alter his sleeping position so he was lying on his side. He uttered a few words in his slumber, though she couldn't figure out what he'd said.

Now he was facing her, he seemed close enough to…

 _No._ She couldn't wake him, she had to let him sleep. Pursing her lips together, Erin held her breath as she retraced her steps back to the door. Having a sudden thought, she reached back for the thin comforter that she kept at the back of the couch. She quietly unravelled it and draped it over the Prince's body.

Erin dared not to think about why he was sleeping on the couch when there was a bed in the next room. But that would have meant… _sharing_. And that was on a whole other level of fucking ridiculous.

 _Or was it?_

 _Just how long had they been making out against her wall for?_ She couldn't recall. And the spontaneous and insatiable part of her actually contemplated inviting him into the bedroom. Which was ludicrous. Outrageous. Impossible. It was…

What she wanted.

 _Seriously? She was having this epiphany in the middle of the night? Wow, she needed to go back to sleep._

Erin glanced at the Prince one final time, thankful that he hadn't woken when she'd thrown the blanket over him. Then she left the room, this time closing the door behind her.

In the kitchen, Erin slumped down onto one of the bar stools, clutching her glass of water between both hands. A shiver ran through her body, probably not surprising given the fact Chicago was freezing during the winter and all she usually chose to sleep in was next to nothing.

Perhaps such a shiver wasn't from the temperature at all though, but instead because sitting in the darkness unable to sleep was causing Erin to reminisce about what happened last night.

 _It was an annoying fucking stomach grumble that had eventually tore them apart. One minute the Prince had her pressed hard against the wall and the next they were side by side on the couch ordering the takeout food to replace the one Erin had forgotten about. Forgotten about because she was otherwise preoccupied._

 _They had both ate Thai food on the couch as though nothing had even happened between them. And when they had both found themselves falling asleep on the couch, the Prince hadn't acted as though he expected to share the bed with her, even if he wanted to._

 _So she'd left him with the sole comfort of the couch, heading to her bedroom and closing the door softly behind her. A move that meant she couldn't change her mind, even if part of her wanted to._

She was going delirious. _Holy crap, I have to go back to bed_ she thought.

The neon numbers on her microwave told Erin that it was almost 4:30 in the morning. A time she hadn't seen since the overnight shift when she'd been on the Intelligence Unit. That felt like a lifetime ago…

As the time registered in Erin's head, she also realized the date. It was Christmas Eve. _Shit_. She didn't have a lot of food in because she was _supposed_ to do shopping and all that kind of stuff yesterday. And she wasn't about to conjure up a fancy dinner but she- they- needed to eat. Erin hadn't been in her apartment for months and it showed. She'd have to find a convenience store or-

"Erin?" she thought she'd imagined it at first, given she was the only one in the apartment awake. Her head jerked up towards the doorway just as her company burst through it, rubbing one eye and sporting the worst bedhead.

"What time is it?" he mumbled.

Erin shifted position on her stool, tucking one of her legs beneath her. "Almost 5am," she said quietly.

The young Prince came further into the room and sat at the adjacent chair to hers. His eyes finally stopped their squinting and Jay rested his elbows against the counter. "And why are you awake exactly?"

She couldn't see a lot of his face in the darkness but was pretty sure he'd be smirking. "I couldn't sleep," Erin replied. _Crap_ was her next thought _had she woken him up?_

"You know what? Me neither," the Prince lowered his voice. "I guess I got a few hours but then something woke me."

"Really?" Erin's voice was quieter than she wanted it to be.

"Yeah I uh, found this throw over me that wasn't there when you left to go to bed," there was a hint of laughter in his voice. "Thanks for that."

"Well I didn't want you to be cold," Erin shrugged, that being the truth. "Sorry that I woke you."

"Don't you dare apologize," Jay replied, almost sounding offended. "Besides, I should be the one saying sorry," the Prince continued. "I show up here all unannounced and you at least didn't tell me to go to hell."

"Hey, you _did_ travel 4000 miles to see me," Erin laughed.

It was weird how the darkness seemed to make her feel more vulnerable. Perhaps it helped that she couldn't see the Prince's face. She got up to put her empty glass on the counter then gripped against the counter with her fingertips.

The kitchen was quiet- too quiet- for a hot second and she stared out of the window, into the night. Or, almost morning. Before she had the opportunity to turn around, she felt a warm flush against her neck then something behind her.

"Erin," the Prince's voice was so quiet she thought she was hearing things. The warm flush at her neck had been his breath. "Turn around."

Her eyes slid closed as she spun to face him. Standing by the window, she could finally see his face. Though she didn't have long to do so when Prince Jay beckoned the line of her jaw with his finger, pulling her towards him. And just like that, they had picked up from where they'd left things last night: Erin standing pinned between the Prince and a hard surface with her eyelids closed and now her mouth opening to let his tongue explore her.

One of her hands took a firm grip on his upper bicep, though that was more for her own enjoyment than the fear of falling. _That_ was never going to happen when Jay was around: he would never let it.

"Oh!" an unexpected gasp left Erin's lips when the Prince decided to change position, working one hand up the back of her boyfriend tee she'd been wearing to sleep in. There would be no restrictions for him- for she obviously wasn't wearing anything underneath. That plus the shortest pyjama pants- no wonder she'd been cold.

That was a far cry from her current body heat though, especially because certain parts of her were on fire. She lifted one leg, entwined it with his and pulled against the T-shirt Jay was wearing, her head rolling back in the process. He'd been about to lift her up onto the counter, both of his hands now trailing the skin on her bare legs in a bid to get grip and hoist her up.

But she had other ideas: Erin forced her eyes open and pushed against the Prince's torso, so she was freed. Then she grabbed one of his hands and pulled him, rather needily, to the other side of her apartment.

Erin had left the door to her bedroom wide open, meaning all the heat had escaped. It only took Jay a second to catch up to her thought process and as soon as they reached the inside of Erin's bedroom, he was leading the way and pushed her towards the already-messy comforter, not being far behind her.

It must have been such a moment that made Erin realize she _wanted_ this, instead of trying to fight it. She worked her way to the top of her bed, grinning into the darkness with the realization that he wasn't far behind.

Erin reached her arms up towards him and when she found his neck, wrapped them both around him. A noise she'd never heard before escaped the Prince but then he was kissing her, his still-too-clothed body hovering dangerously close to her own.

After locking their tongues for the hottest moment, Jay grinned and she could see it now, thanks to the first morning sunlight making itself known outside. So she could watch as he pulled back to bite down on his own lip, almost like savouring her taste, before swiftly pulling off his T-shirt.

He'd carelessly disregarded it by throwing it onto the floor. Then he was paying intricate attention to her body again, peppering the lightest kisses down her neck, collar and stomach. The feeling of which, combined with the tickle from his beard, drove Erin crazy. She rose to sit up quickly, suddenly not afraid that she was about to be semi-naked in front of him.

She started to take off the big T-shirt, one of her hands reaching the seams before both of his joined.

"Let me," he whispered, the first words to have left his mouth since he'd been murmuring her name.

Erin just had to oblige, lifting her hands above her head so the Prince could playfully undress her. Before she'd even worked one limb out of the cotton, a familiar vibration interrupted them from her bedside table.

 _Who would be calling her at this time in the morning? Unless…_

"Ignore that," Jay had senses that she'd tenses up but was still trying to distract her. "Do you hear me? Ignore," a kiss at the left side of her neck, "…that," and on the right.

"I ca-" her first attempt to speak got lost somewhere in her throat. And yet, she knew something that he didn't: her cell phone was set to a different ringtone for everybody that called her regularly. And she knew who this one belonged to. "I can't," she managed eventually. "It's your father."

Jay recoiled back all of a sudden, mortified that the subject of his father had interfered at such an inappropriate moment. as Erin wriggled away from underneath him to switch on her lamp, the Prince remained at the lower end of the bed, shaking his head.

It confused her at first, then realized Patrick calling at such an intimate time would cause his son to dislike him even more. She shot Jay a sympathetic look before reaching for her phone and bringing it to her ear.

 _Had Prince Patrick forgotten about the time difference?_ She knew Jay's father was essentially her boss but still, that wasn't an excuse for calling at 5am Chicago time. Even worse, she was on Christmas vacation. _What the fuck was he ringing her now for?_

Her free hand touched the Prince's fingers apologetically, for she knew what _definitely_ would have went down if they weren't rudely interrupted. "I'm sorry, I have to-" she said to him.

Erin knew really that the older Prince wouldn't be calling unless it regarded something important: he _had_ told her to enjoy her holidays, even if it hadn't sounded the most sincere. She touched the screen to stop the ringing and pressed it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Erin?" Patrick already sounded exasperated. "I do apologize, I know it's early but I wouldn't call if it wasn't important."

She waited for a moment as he cleared his throat.

"Please tell me, is my son with you?"

The volume of the call was up loud enough for the Prince that was with her to hear. As he heard the words from his father, Jay's eyes widened and he looked at Erin, mouthing something and shaking his head. It made her realize that he must have left the palace without telling any of his family where he went.

"Yes," it almost felt like a betrayal as she looked at him. He'd dropped his eyes to avoid her. "Yes, he's here."

"Oh, thank Goodness, can you put him on the phone?" Patrick now sounded unusually friendly.

Erin reluctantly pulled her cell away from her ear and extended her arm towards Jay. Something told her that his father wouldn't have the same cheerful tone with his son. She was right: the minute Jay had opened his mouth to speak, Erin could hear shouting from the other end. Though she couldn't work out what the older Prince was saying, Erin watched as Jay's face contorted like a child's.

"Right," he eventually managed to cut in, sounding under enthused. "Okay," Jay rolled his eyes then made a strange face at Erin, making her laugh. She quickly put a hand over her mouth to avoid Patrick from hearing. And it reassured her that Jay wasn't pissed at her for giving away his location.

"…I'm only coming if she does," Jay was saying into the phone. He'd become restless, standing now and looking outside the window, holding the phone between ear and shoulder so he could rebutton his jeans. "I figured," he spoke again, his tone of voice an immediate indication of how much he cared about the conversation.

The Prince turned back to Erin, extending an arm towards her, holding the phone. "He wants to speak with you," Jay's head tilted to the side and he grinned.

Erin had _no_ fucking idea what he was playing at, but she didn't like the look on his face. It did intrigue her though and she took the cell phone from him. She kept her gaze on Prince Jay as he strolled back over to the window, pretending not to listen to the unfolding conversation.

"Your Highness?" she addressed the older Prince in the most formal way, unsure of what mood he'd be in after speaking with his unruly and defiant son. She heard a huge sigh from the other end of the phone.

"Here's the thing Erin," the elder Prince sounded stressed out, his breathing was out of sync, she could tell that much over the call. "We as a family have a lot of traditions around the Christmas period, not to mention duties as a Royal. There's a vitally important trade meeting this evening with the government and Royal family members from other countries. As you may not be aware, Jay's presence is required to represent us-"

 _Oh. So that's why Patrick sounded so pissed: he had a right to be._ Erin shot a look in Jay's direction… _did he know he'd have to be home tonight and that's why he'd come to Chicago? Was it an act of rebellion to distance himself from his family?_

He was still looking out of the window-now it was getting light outside- but Erin figured he knew how the conversation was going.

"So what are you going to do? Send a helicopter to get him?"

"That's the thing Erin," a nervous laugh came from the other end of the phone. "My son is adamant that he will only return to the palace if you come with him." Patrick was clearly speaking loud enough for Jay to hear because she watched a sly smirk spread across his face. His attention turned towards her and he shrugged innocently.

Before she had replied, the older Prince spoke again. "I know it's supposed to be your holidays but…I wont sugar-coat things Erin, you know my son by now," another pause. "…and I know better than to really argue with him because that last time that happened-"

 _What?_ Erin willed him to go on, but Prince Patrick trailed off. Jay was still playing indifferent too, pretending not to be involved. Patrick's silence signalled to Erin that their phone call was coming to an end. As she placed her cell back onto the bedside table, Jay spun around.

He watched as she struggled back into her clothes and stood up from the bed. "Where are you going?" Jay looked puzzled but had no right to be.

Without answering, Erin left her bedroom but returned a minute later, carrying one of the suitcases she'd just brought back.

"What are you doing?" Jay was more curious and stood at the end of her bed, watching as she threw the suitcase on top of it.

"I'm repacking," Erin replied. "Looks like we're going back to London."

* * *

Erin's first thoughts when she saw the private helicopter resembled something along the lines of _"Oh my God, holy shit!"_ She'd never seen something of such a size, let alone something that was supposed to take her the other side of the world, in half the time an airplane would take.

A member of staff she'd never seen before- probably because she wasn't accustomed to Royal air transport- had appeared from the aircraft and taken care of her bags then instructed her to board. She'd attempted to hide any apprehension she felt but the Prince sensed it anyway.

"Come on," Jay had stepped onto the stairs first, got onto the helicopter and then turned around to face her. "It's fine, honestly. I've been on this lots of times."

"Of course you have," Erin muttered under her breath, trying to ignore the metal stairway as it shook beneath her feet.

"What was that?" he'd stepped out of the doorway so she could go in.

"Nothing," Erin replied playfully before turning her attention to the interior. Her jaw almost dropped to the floor. "Oh my God!" she gasped, seeing the sight of the plush leather chairs and accompanying furniture. "This doesn't feel like an aircraft at all." She strolled on right past where Prince Jay was standing and collapsed into one of the chairs.

"Told you," the Prince had a smug look on his face and he wasn't trying to hide it. She was on her way back to England with him, he'd _definitely_ done something right. He quickly walked to where she sat and threw himself into the other vacant chair. "This is the helicopter they use- we use- for all our Royal tours," Jay said and for once, Erin thought he sounded proud to be a member of his family. "I'm sure you'll get to experience one of those."

Jay took a layer of clothing off- his bulky coat and a scarf- disregarded them to the side and turned towards her. "But I'd much rather prefer you're there not as my bodyguard but as my-"

"Are we ready to go?" the guy from outside stood in front of them, holding the hat from his uniform in hand.

Erin heard Jay sigh to himself as their pilot spoke then felt him retreat to sit properly in his seat. A quick glance his way and she saw a scowl on his face before he began to stare out of the window. So, she answered for him.

"All set," Erin attempted to sound enthusiastic, given the other person on the aircraft wouldn't.

"Alright then," the man, who hadn't yet told Erin his name, looked down at his watch. "We should make it back to the palace in approximately three and a half hours. So sit back, relax and let Captain Phil do the rest."

Erin just about managed to suppress her laughter until he'd closed the door to the control room but when he'd shut it, she couldn't help herself and started giggling. "Captain Phil? He talks about himself in the third person? That's too funny."

Jay was still turned towards the window but she saw the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. "And now you know what I have to put up with," he said after a minute. "He won't be bothering us for the rest of the flight though, Captain Phil likes to be left alone when he's working," the Prince had imitated their helicopter pilot with the last phrase and Erin sniggered even harder.

They settled into quiet chatter for a few minutes before Erin got curious.

"So what is this thing you gotta be back for anyway?"

"The annual trade conference," Jay said it in a different voice, as though he was quoting. "We don't often have a lot of input into the government but when we do, it's a huge deal," he continued. "I don't see what _I_ have to be there, my father is the one that takes control." He clenched then unclenched his fist. "I'd much rather you be showing me more of Chicago but," a shrug.

"…but you have to be in London," Erin picked up the sentence. "You have duties to your family Jay," she said. _Woah. Who's side was she on? Jay's. Definitely his._

She saved the conversation. "…but at least you only have this meeting, right? Then you're free to enjoy the holidays?"

The Prince blew a giant childish raspberry. "I wish. We have a TV appearance on Christmas Day where we address the nation. Plus however many stupid dinners to attend. It's not really a holidays at all."

Erin thought this was an exaggeration; surely Jay would have time to himself?

"Oh hey look, we're landing," the Prince sounded relieved at that fact, his right hand pointing Erin's attention to the window. Sure enough, she could see the familiar British landmarks coming into sight: the London Eye, the famous Big Ben and finally the palace. Even from high above, she could see how bit it looked on the ground. How much space it occupied, compared to everything else.

Something inside her was tingling: she was _happy_ to see it.

Erin closed her eyes tight to land but there was no need, she barely felt it as they connected with the gravel below.

"Home sweet home," Jay murmured sarcastically, unbuckling his safety belt and standing up enthusiastically. He opened the door in front of them in a swift move and their pilot was standing right behind it. Jay jerked his head towards Erin and she took it as a sign to follow him quickly.

As they reached the door that led them outside, he spoke to her. "If we're not fast he'll try and have a conversation with us. Which, knowing Phil, will last approximately two hours. Don't know about you but I can't be arsed for _that_. Let's go."

Erin barely had time to say two words to their pilot before the Prince grabbed her hand and made for the nearest palace door, out of the rain. Once they'd made it into one of the downstairs corridors, Jay let go of her hand and walked a step in front.

"Phil will take care of your suitcase, it'll be outside your bedroom in-"

"James," they heard the voice of Prince Patrick before they saw him. As he came into view, Erin could already tell he was pissed off. "This way, with me. _Now_." There was a tight anger in his tone telling them he wasn't in the mood to argue, giving certainly Erin the impression he wasn't gonna be in the best of moods with his youngest son. His facial expression shifted slightly as he looked at her. "Erin," a forced smile. "How nice to see you. Now you're here, I know it's supposed to be the holidays, but I'll need you to be present at the meeting tonight." The way he spoke made Erin think it was more like an order. "For now, you're free."

 _How fucking kind of him._ She nodded her response, noticing the younger Prince behind his father make his feelings clear. He shook his head at first, rolling his eyes so she had to force herself not to smirk in front of Patrick. The last thing she needed to do was piss him off even more.

"I'll see you," Jay spoke from the corner of his mouth as he forcefully followed his father until they were around the next corridor and Erin couldn't see them.

She continued the other way instead, finding the most familiar staircase and taking them up to her bedroom. Sure enough, her luggage was waiting for outside the room.

Erin contemplated throwing herself onto the bed and napping until the evening was upon her, but the suitcases were staring her in the face. And they would probably continue to do so until she did something about it.

First, she kicked off the biker boots she'd been wearing, pushing them so they were just hidden beneath her bed. _There was no point in stalling, she wasn't about to be going back to Chicago any time soon, was she?_ She set about hanging back up her work clothes- ones that she hadn't even unpacked to begin with. She refolded her casual belongings, filling again the closet that she'd half emptied.

She was mid-way through the last of the suitcases when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. Heading towards it, she frowned, knowing she wasn't really expecting anybody. Patrick had literally said she could take the afternoo- _shit_. A quick look at the clock on the wall told her it was almost 7pm. Time had gotten away from her whilst she'd been unpacking and drowned in her thoughts.

The knocking was persistent: whoever was on the other side of the door had time to rap again before she reached it. Pulling it open, she almost stumbled into Patrick, who was positioned as though he was about to knock a third time.

"Oh!" he managed to compose himself quicker than she did, regaining his posture. "Erin," he promptly looked down at what she was wearing, clearly thinking she was underdressed for the occasion. "The trade conference is going to be starting in twenty minutes, I just wanted to remind you," he looked back at her face now but too late: Erin already felt her appearance judged.

Patrick seemed to make it apparent that he was straightening his suit.

"I'll be there," she said defiantly, knowing he'd be taken aback by her boldness. "The conference room, right?" Jay had already told her that much.

"Yes, yes that's correct," the older Prince cleared his throat, starting to stride away. "See you then."

Erin shook her head as she closed the door: suddenly she was beginning to empathize with Jay's feelings towards his father. When he wanted to be, Prince Patrick really was a dick.

The least she could do was join in with the conference, be there for Jay even if she was just sitting in the background.

Pulling off her casual clothes, she made it into her bathroom and took the quickest shower. Then she dressed fast into one of her pant suits, realizing she have to look her most professional amongst tonight's company. After she was done, Erin made her way to the lower level of the palace.

She realized the corridors were eerily quiet, but that was to be expected if tonight was as important as Jay had made it out to be. Only when she neared the vicinity of the enormous conference room did she hear the bustle of voices and laughter.

Most of the people were dressed a lot like she was, though their outfits probably cost triple the price. She wormed her wat through those stuck in deep conversation until she caught sight of familiar faces.

First, she saw Will and Nina, realizing she hadn't seen them since they got married.

"Erin," Nina seemed both happy and pleasantly surprised to see her. "You're back," evidently the news hadn't made it around the palace yet. "You should sit at this table with us, Jay is about to make his speech."

 _Speech?_ Erin frowned- only to herself though- and followed Nina's direction to the table.

"Good evening Erin," her new husband was obviously aware of his surroundings and spoke formally. "What brings you back so soon? I have to admit I was rather surprised when I found out you weren't going to be here for the wedding-" Will shut himself up promptly when the lighting in the room suddenly dimmed.

Erin's attention immediately diverted from the conversation to the podium in the centre of the room. Seeing the youngest Prince for the first time that evening, she watched as he slowly walked up the steps to the stand and microphone.

He was dressed similarly to the other people in the room, the crisp white shirt beneath the pristine black suit had the top three buttons undone. Jay had made use of a razor, the beginnings of the beard she'd seen this morning now a neat line of stubble around his jawline. The coloring of his black eye also looked better too: now there was only a hint of yellow and that wasn't enough to distract from the rest of his face.

Erin continued to watch, her hands pressed together underneath the table as Jay took a hold on the microphone and the room fell quiet. It took a couple of seconds for him to clear his throat before he raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"If I could have your attention. I know my father usually gives these speeches but tonight we're going to do things a little different." He paused, perhaps expecting some backlash but the audience remained quiet. "I know my family don't often get a say in these new proposed laws and I'm probably right in thinking some of you here tonight don't think my family should have a say in what happens with government at all." Jay shook his head. "If you think that, you'd be right."

From the corner of Erin's eye, she could see Prince Patrick with his fists clenched obviously regretting the decision to let his younger son speak.

"You think we abuse our power, you think your taxes pay for our lavish lifestyle, you're absolutely correct. But I'm here tonight to tell you that that's not what I'm about. I want more money to fund education, I want more of the funding to pay for sports opportunities. I want there to be somewhere for the homeless to say." Jay's list appeared to be endless and Erin continued to listen intently as he went on to discuss charity work and public activities.

She had never seen this side of him before. One so full of passion and determination that he sounded like a different person. As his speech came to its conclusion, members of parties and government were applauding, some even standing out of their seats.

Jay seemed to be revelling in this popularity, a wide grin spread across his face. He stayed still for a few moments before descending the podium, reaching for the first glass of champagne that was pushed towards him. It was a few seconds before he caught sight of the table his family occupied, his eyes narrowing further when they reached Erin. A smile tugged one corner of his mouth up and soon he was excusing himself from the conversation, moving through the various bodies until he reached her.

"What did you think?" he laughed, playing off his question even though he really wanted to know her opinion.

"That was amazing," Erin shrugged, not feeling guilty about paying him the compliment. She'd never expected the youngest Prince to sound so passionate about something that didn't actually benefit himself. It was further revelation to her that the rude and obnoxious Prince thing was all a façade.

"Thank you," he saluted playfully, downed the rest of his champagne flute. Erin watched as he caught something in the corner of his eye line. A slight grimace now took over his face. "I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me…" With that, he wandered off in the opposite direction but looking as though he really didn't wanna do so.

Erin followed him with her eyes until she lost him to the crowd then turned her attention back to the table, grabbing a drink of champagne. Not wanting to seem rude, she decided to make small conversation with the rest of the family. Patrick was nowhere to be found. Nina and Will were busy staring into each other's eyes. That left Katherine and Henry, although they seemed to be in deep conversation too.

Realizing she was little in the mood for mingling, Erin finished off her alcohol and checked the time on her watch. It told her Jay's speech had lasted little more than an hour and the small breaks in between meant it was almost 9pm. She didn't know a lot of the other company currently in the conference room and Jay wasn't in sight anymore so she got the impression her service was no longer needed.

She made it back to her chamber and threw herself on the bed, tiredness almost consuming her.

And yet…

She couldn't sleep.

 _Had it only just been this morning she'd been standing over a sleeping Prince Jay whilst he was at her apartment?_ It certainly felt like longer. And she'd witnessed so many sides of him today.

And she'd been attracted to them all.

Fuck.

She had to know.

Leaping from where she lay on her bed, she closed the bedroom door behind her. Erin realized she must have been compelling her thoughts for longer than she thought, for the palace was dark and silent as she crept along the familiar corridor.

She reached the door to Jay's bedroom quicker than she thought she would. Listening closely, she could tell there was no noise coming from the other side. But it was too late for her to turn back.

Erin took a deep breath and knocked on his door.

 **Please Review!**


	10. Something More

The breath Erin hadn't realized she'd been holding escaped her when she heard footsteps approaching. As they neared the other side of the door, she panicked. _What the fuck was she going to say?_

She hadn't thought that through. She was standing awkwardly when the door was pulled open. Prince Jay had only half-managed to change out of that suit she'd witnessed him wearing. He'd rid himself of the black jacket, unbuttoned the trousers and untucked his shirt, rolling the folded sleeves past his elbows. When he caught sight of her he grinned with one side of his mouth so it resembled a smirk.

Then he cooked his head to the side, as if to question innocently why she was standing at the door to his apartment. "Can I help you?" he asked, still smirking.

Erin said nothing but pushed herself onto her tiptoes and shrugged. For effect, she bit her lower lip while looking ay him.

At the gesture, Jay's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. A gulp. "You better…come…in," he reached out and in a swift movement, grabbed her hand pulling her into the first corridor of his private space.

Once Jay had closed the door behind her, he loosened his grip, realizing Erin had never been into his chambers before. Her eyes roamed the surroundings: Erin wasn't sure what she'd been expecting but she could definitely tell this was Jay's part of the palace.

It was surprisingly cleaner than she'd thought it would be: the plush carpet beneath her feet and the dark walls, it somehow looked more appetizing than the rest of the castle.

Erin felt Jay's gaze burning a hole into the side of her temple and she spun the rest of the way to face him.

"You're in my apartment," the young Prince sounded kinda proud to be saying it, a smile spreading slowly across his face. "Let me show you around," Jay extended a hand towards her again and she reached for it quicker than necessary. Something about being in his private space made her _want_ to touch him.

 _Or maybe it had something to do with the fact his half-undressed style made him look fucking sexy._

Erin gulped, following a step behind him as Jay led her into the first room. He'd made it into his lounge- though most of the furniture looked far too expensive for Erin to sit on. It was a lot more colorful than the outer part of the palace, this was definitely an apartment the Prince had made his own.

Erin's eyes widened as she scanned the room and its walls: apart from the fact an enormous L-shaped couch took up the majority of space, there was a giant flat screen TV and a circular shaped rug on the floor. The numerous photographs that decorated the walls had been the last thing she'd expected to see. From the vibes Prince Jay gave off, Erin had been under the impression there would be little to remind him of his past up on display. Yet, there were more than a dozen pictures…and over half of them appeared to be family orientated.

Tilting her head in their direction, Erin pulled away her hand to look at them closely. Something inside her twigged as she caught sight of how many included Jay's mom. One of Jay wrapped in Ellen's embrace, a two-teeth-missing toddler Jay smiling for the camera whilst holding his mother's hand. Erin gulped: they were obviously family intimate photos, ones that would never been shown to the media.

"Your mother was beautiful," she half-whispered, resisting the urge to trail a finger along the frames.

"Yeeeep," the young Prince dragged out his response to make it sound like three syllables. The tone of his voice made her turn towards him.

Now Jay half-stood half-balanced against one arm of his humungous couch. Erin's breath hitched in her throat when she saw the way he was standing, his head cocked to the side, looking at her as she looked at his photos.

"You must really miss her," Erin sighed, her tongue tracing the inside of her bottom lip. It felt insanely dry and she tried to salvate it. It didn't work.

"Mhm," Jay confirmed his answer but didn't move position. Then he suddenly joined where his bodyguard was standing, one of his index fingers tracing his mom's silhouette. "Erin, you didn't come in here to talk about my mother so stop stalling," as he finished his reply, Jay stood in front of her, looking down at her hands.

 _Were they trembling or was she imagining it?_

Even though the lounge wasn't in complete illumination, she could see just how big his pupils had grown. The usual black dots had taken over his deep blue irises and his eyes had an unusual air to them. Something she'd seen before but wasn't all too familiar with.

Desire.

The next thing out of his mouth was low and needy. "Did you want to continue with the tour…" his gaze temporarily flitted to the grand doorway that she hadn't seen beyond. "…or should we go to my bedroom?"

His forwardness excited her but she couldn't think of the right thing to say. Instead, she shrugged again, waiting for him to decide what to do next.

"Right," Jay swiftly reached for her hand, all but pulling her in the direction of his bedroom. As they passed the threshold into where he slept, Erin heard as he flicked on a switch.

The room was apparently already set to mood lighting, sconces on both sides of the walls suddenly glowing with a yellowy haze. The dark curtains on the interior side of Jay's massive window were drawn, blocking out the outside sky.

Her attention was struck by the bed that took up most of the room. It somehow wasn't what she'd been expecting: satin sheets in such a deep midnight blue they looked black. Erin gulped, envisioning- whilst trying to block out- how many girls the Prince might have enticed back here.

Jay seemed to have sensed her tense up. "If you don't want-" he was cut off by her shaking her head, making him relieved.

"It's not that," Erin bit her lip, feeling bad for stalling their evening. "It's just…" she didn't want to ruin the mood by saying it. Yet Jay somehow established what she had doubts about.

"Trust me," his voice was husky as he walked until standing behind her. That meant he'd dropped her hand but used both of his to gently remove the suit jacket from her shoulders, sliding it down her arms. Enough to give her goosebumps. "Nobody has been in here except for me," Jay spun her around to face him. "…and now you." Abruptly finishing his sentence, the Prince reached for her face, pushing several curls behind her eat to then trace the line of her jaw. "Tell me you want this as much as I do," his tone was needy now, almost as though he wouldn't be able to handle if she gave him the wrong answer.

"I want this," her voice came out a sensual whisper, one Erin didn't even realize she was capable of. The sentence was barely out of her mouth before the Prince was kissing her, wrapping one arm around her back to pull her closer.

Her own limbs felt trapped at her sides but as Jay drew back to take a quick breath, she took it to her advantage and brought both of her arms up to his chest. The material of Jay's cotton shirt seemed to crumple at her touch and she ran a finger furiously down the fastening, pulling open the buttons. As she continued to kiss him, Erin tugged the white cotton away from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

Suddenly realizing he was half-naked, a step ahead of her, the Prince laughed to himself, struggling to pull away. He licked his lower lip as his eyes darted down to the low-cut shirt she was still wearing. One of his hands raised itself to her chest, he could either feel her pounding heart or heavy breathing, wasn't sure of which. Either way- now he knew she wanted this- his fingers worked slower than hers had, carefully unbuttoning the hooks that held the material together over her chest.

Two seconds later Erin's shirt was also on the floor and she stood before him in a cream cotton bra: simple, but he'd never been more turned on.

"God, you're so beautiful," Jay took a moment to drink in the sight of her. _How the fuck had he managed to hold out for this long?_ His bodyguard really was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. And it helped that her body was damn hot.

Erin's eyes glittered at his statement and she reached down below her navel to undo the zipper of her trousers. Jay looked on in awe as they fell immediately away from her legs so now she only had on her underwear. Then as her gaze matched his eye contact again, something clicked within him. He marched back up to her and grabbed just below her ass to hoist her into his arms and carry her over to the bed.

Not having expected such a move, Erin let out a noise- somewhere between a squeal and a moan.

Jay lowered her onto the bed, the one that felt so big she could get lost in it. Not wanting him to be a metre away from her any longer, she wrapped her long legs around his hips in a bid to trap him.

A chuckle escaped the Prince. "Wait," he managed, trailing a finger down her lower leg before stepping back and breaking her entwined feet apart. "Just…a…minute."

It took Erin only a few moments to catch on: Jay was only backing away to free himself from the restraint of his suit pants. Now it was Erin's turn to bite her lip and she did so as Jay made his way back to his bed, using the upper muscles of his arms to hover above her.

Erin lay there watching as the Prince paid intricate attention to her body. He planted kisses along her collarbone, one of his hands working gently across the skin of her bare arms. She looked on at the hesitation that took over his face when his fingers found the track marks etched into her skin. Erin half-expected him to say something but instead his fingers continued their journey until they'd found hers and laced their hands together.

Jay tried to use the elbow of the same arm to prop himself up, not wanting to crush her but at the same time not baring to be apart. His free hand trailed the line of her bare stomach towards the elastic of her panties. Erin writhed beneath him as she felt the material of her underwear being shifted to the side and Jay's fingers slide into her.

"Oh!" She'd thrown her head back against the comforter but the lower half of her body was doing the opposite: bucking up off the bed to meet him. The Prince was laughing to himself, watching as she started to lose control beneath him. After showing his clear amusement, Jay pressed his lips to her stomach, continuing a line of kisses until he reached where he'd currently lost his fingers. Soon he'd replaced them with his tongue, keeping a firm hold on Erin's waist so she couldn't escape.

"Oh God," Erin couldn't hold back her voice now she realized, as she ran her fingers though his damp hair. But the sounds coming from the back of her throat only turned the Prince on further. He raised his face towards her again, seductively running his tongue over his lips.

Then he once more locked their lips together whilst simultaneously pressing his body and erection into her. "Erin, if I hold back any longer I'm going to-"

"Then don't," she pulled his face towards her, only being able to make out his features slightly in the dim light.

The Prince didn't need to be told twice, freeing himself rapidly from the restraints of his boxers. He groaned as he first entered her, but tried to keep his attention on her face. Erin was tense beneath him, her mouth now stuck in a constant 'o'. Now and then, his name left her lips, which only made him want to pound into her faster.

As though she could read his thoughts and felt the same, Erin's hands made their way down to Jay's ass and took a firm grip, a bid to get him to go deeper.

"Fuck…Erin," the Prince came before her, the orgasm rippling through his shuddering body barely after he'd finished uttering her name. As he caught back his breath and rolled to the side of her, Jay tantalizingly used his fingers to finish her off. For he felt the need to pleasure her the way she'd just satisfied him.

It was only another minute before Erin totally lost control, his work paying off. Jay was watching in awe as she joined in the euphoria he'd felt moments ago her body convulsing in ways he'd definitely imagined. She came to a stop a few seconds later, turning her head to face him where he lay to her left, upheld by an elbow.

There was a somewhat comfortable silence between them, both waiting as their hitched breathing returned to a normal rate. Once it had, Erin felt Jay's touch as he caressed her arms where the visible scars of her past still lingered. She could tell that the Prince wanted to say something but she didn't need him feeling sorry for her. Besides, she didn't want his sympathy.

Still, she looked on surprised, when he manoeuvred his arm out of the way to show her the inner crevice of his elbow. As she was able to look closely, she noticed the familiar etching of needle marks that she wouldn't be able to make out if she wasn't so close. Her own hands reached out to touch them, almost to check as if they were really there.

"Coke mostly," Jay mumbled, shrugging. "Occasionally it was heroin but," he gulped. "I'm not proud of that. It was a long time ago. The heroin was anyway," Jay smirked in a way so Erin wasn't sure if he was joking. "Sometimes I just need a fix. I mean," his hand that he wasn't leaning on traced circles across her bare stomach. "..you have met my family." He flopped down onto the bed beside her, staring at the ceiling. "Although now I only take it this way," he tapped his nose. "Much less messy."

Erin was silent, as though digesting what he'd said. Somehow how truthful he was being wasn't putting her off. And she didn't want the Prince to think she was. "Heroin," she gestured towards her own scars. "E, coke and meth," Erin continued, trying not to react when she saw his eyebrows shoot up. "Pot," her hand moved to her mouth and Jay laughed- he could obviously relate. "Shit," she thought suddenly, remembering just what her job was. "But that's not me anymore…I…" Erin frowned and clamped her mouth shut promptly but she saw that the Prince was laughing. Really laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You really think your job is at risk, huh? Because of some fucking recreation? Please," he wrapped an arm around her. "You're the best person they've ever given this job to."

"Good," she took the compliment as best she could. "I was thinking…" _How could she phrase it?_

"Oh boy," Jay said and she could feel his head shaking.

"What?"

"That's not something a guy wants to hear right after sex!"

"Shut up and listen," Erin thumped a hand playfully against his chest. "I have actually begun to like this job…"

"…and you want to hang onto it even longer so you'd like to keep this," Jay motioned between them, "…between us for a while."

Erin was taken aback that he seemed so chill about it. "You're okay with that?" she wanted to be sure.

"Are you kidding?" the Prince finally made an effort to move from the bed, stumbling forward and wriggling into his boxer shorts. "You being my bodyguard means we get a lot of alone time together anyway. That means we could make out on the job," he winked at her. "That's hot."

Erin sat up too, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She rolled her eyes at Jay: of _course_ that was all he was thinking about. "It could work," she shrugged, looking on as he made his way back to the bed. He reached into one drawer of the cabinet that accompanied either side of his bed and pulled out a green T-shirt. Erin had never seen him wearing something so casual but guessed she was about to. But he pushed it towards her.

"You can't sleep in your clothes," Jay grinned and she was thankful for the gesture, taking the garment from him. She unfolded it and shuffled into it, letting the extra material fall down her slender arms and past her ass. It was like an actual nightgown on her small frame. Erin inhaled the musty scent as her face passed through the head-hole. She watched as Jay gestured that he would rearrange the bed covers so they could get into the bed.

Erin tried to yawn subtly: it had been fairly late when she'd made her way to Jay's section of the palace and it was obviously even later now. She had no idea how much time had passed between then and now. It _had_ to be late, maybe even almost morning. _Just how long had they been talking? Or fucking?_

She soon found herself beneath the Prince's comforter, lying between the softest sheets she'd ever experienced. As Erin relaxed her head back against the pillows she surveyed his bedroom again, this time highlighting things that were missing. She frowned.

"You don't have a TV in your bedroom?"

Jay was obviously amused with her question. He wriggled free the arm that had been around her and flipped quickly onto his side. He pressed something that made a whirring sound and Erin's jaw dropped a little as she saw something coming out from underneath where they lay. _Oh. Of fucking course he had a flat screen LED television that was housed in his bed._

Why was she acting so surprised?

But her eyes then widened when the screen lit up and it started talking to Jay. Asking for a password. After he'd reeled off a long list of numbers, a random show started playing.

"I'm almost done with Breaking Bad. Have you seen it?"

Erin shook her head against the arm that held her.

"Seriously? It's so good," Jay threw another command to his television before lowering himself down onto the pillows to join her. As they continued to watch, Jay's cell phone kept buzzing with text messages. Initially he checked on them but after the 8th or 9th, he simply tossed the phone onto the floor.

Erin was subconsciously thinking about _who_ was texting him at this time of night. _Did she have a right to ask?_ She wasn't about to. Instead, she stayed quiet, looking on at the show the Prince was watching. It was another half hour before she actually felt him tense up.

"We didn't use protection," whatever Erin had expected him to say, it definitely wasn't that. Yet he needed to know that he wasn't correct.

Erin stuck her left arm out of the comforter, fiddling around with the skin of her upper arm. Soon after, her fingers found the small rod under the surface. "We're good," she smiled.

" _Oh_ ," Jay seemed satisfied with her answer, though pulled a face only to himself. He didn't want to think about _why_ she had a contraceptive implant, less about what she could have been up to whilst protected by it. For he couldn't think about her being with anybody else: the thought made him queasy.

He relaxed back to watch the rest of the episode, an attempt to focus on something other than her.

Erin stifled a yawn as the credits began to roll up from the bottom of the screen. "Maybe I should get going," she whispered, noticing the Prince was falling asleep too. The past few hours hadn't let her forget it would be Christmas tomorrow. Jay- along with his family- would have a hectic schedule. That meant, so would she.

"Just stay," she felt his fingers tighten around hers. Not being about to see his face, such an action would determine her decision.

* * *

Prince Jay was rudely awakened the next morning by several sharp raps on the door of his apartment. He wriggled a bit but was in no hurry to move so the raps came again.

"What do you want?"

Instead of a verbal answer his father, Prince Patrick, marched into the bedroom, his arms swinging furiously at his sides. He stopped just short of his younger son's bed with his hands on his hips.

"What the devil are you still doing in bed? Don't you know what day it is? I need you up, showered and into the dining room for breakfast in fifteen minutes. I won't have you ruining anything today!" With that, Patrick turned on his heel back in the direction he had come from.

"Happy fucking Christmas to you too," Jay muttered under his breath, not loud enough for Patrick to overhear.

As soon as he heard the door slam closed, the comforter ruffled.

"Oh my God, it feels like a sauna under there!" Erin threw her arms out of the blankets, blowing out the breath she'd been clinging to. She laughed to herself. "Do you think he knew I was here?"

"Didn't stay long enough to figure that out. Just shouted his orders at me and left. You know," Jay rolled his eyes. "…the usual."

She'd heard. "I'm sorr-"

"Don't you dare apologize. My family is not your fault." The Prince got up from the bed first, scratching at the back of his neck. "Uhm, he is kinda right. Today is a big day." He yawned, stretched and made his feet shuffle to the adjoining bathroom, leaving the door behind him.

Erin shook her head, laughing, as she heard him peeing before he came back into the bedroom.

"I suppose you're right," she agreed, swinging her legs from his bed. Her eyes dropped to her clothes so carelessly disregarded on the floor last night. She slipped back into her trousers, doing up the zipper and shoved her panties into the pocket.

"Wait," Jay said quickly, holding out a hand. "My father might be checking if you're awake. Your presence will be required at breakfast too," he winked.

When she'd redressed, the Prince led the way back to the entrance of his chamber, only slightly opening the door and peering outside. As if scarily on cue, somebody else's footsteps stumbled along the outer corridor.

Jay peered into the hallway as Erin hid in the crevice where two of his walls joined.

"Jay," the two were both surprised that Patrick had actually used the name his son preferred. "I have just knocked several times on the door of Erin's apartment but I received no answer. You need to make sure that she's awake for breakfast. I trust you'll make sure she's there."

The younger Prince's eyes flitted for the quickest millisecond towards Erin, who was standing with a hand across her mouth so she wouldn't make a noise. If Price Patrick came one step closer, he would see her.

"I…she'll be there," Jay suppressed his laughter, passing it off as clearing his throat.

"Yes," Patrick said, looking down at his youngest son in just his pants. "…and so will you. But for Goodness sake, put on some clothes!"

" _For Goodness sake, put on some clothes!_ " Jay slammed the door closed after a mocking sentence and a fake salute towards his father. Then he stepped closer to Erin, his hands on either side of the wall. "You heard the man," he whispered. "Your attendance is desired for breakfast." His lips hovered in front of her and he kissed her softly, quickly backing away before she had the chance to register it had happened. "I'll see you downstairs in ten," Jay turned his back to her, walking again to the bathroom and sliding the door closed behind him.

Erin peeled herself away from the wall and ran her index finger over her bottom lip. _Was it still tingling? No_ she told herself _and fucking pull yourself together- you have to go to breakfast._

She tiptoed along the (now, thankfully) deserted corridor towards her own bedroom. When she'd made it, Erin closed the door and ran into the bathroom- boy, she needed to shower. The feeling of hot water dropping onto and into every crevice of her body made her want to stay there for the rest of the day.

Knowing that wasn't an option, she gave her hair the quickest tousle and picked out a dark pair of jeans and a flannel. She'd have to change before the public appearances though, into something more professional. This outfit would do for breakfast.

Erin stuffed her cell phone and key fob into her pocket and made her way to the lower floor of the palace. Her walk along the usually quiet hallways was accompanied with soft Christmas music and she made it to the breakfast room in no time. The music was soon drowned out by the sounds of voices- it sounded like everyone was there before her.

She knocked softly but the door swung open anyway and Jay's family all spun to face her. Everybody was in the room except the Queen and her husband, meaning the food hadn't yet been consumed.

"Erin," Patrick grabbed her hand and held it for a second though he didn't kiss her and she was thankful for that decision. "There you are. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," she repeated, then did the same with the other family members: Will, Nina, Robert (apparently he still celebrated with them), Will and Nina's guards and some other staff she'd come to know who worked in the palace.

Jay was the last member she came to; not surprisingly he was already trying to pick at the food on the long table. "Hey."

At the sound of her voice the young Prince spun around, licking something from his index finger. He'd certainly found his way to the shower, now dressed casually in a navy shirt and jeans. His hair definitely wasn't sporting the bed-head look any longer, he'd put some product in it to hold the strands in place.

Not wanting to draw any attention, she offered him the same greeting.

"Yeah Merry Christmas," Jay had pulled on her hand when she'd offered it for him to shake. She had to pursue her lips together when he'd let go as they were close and he pretended to play with the buttons of her shirt. "This is gonna be fun," he whispered as the others chatted so they couldn't hear him.

Erin gulped and tried to think of an appropriate reply but then she heard Patrick clear his throat, a summon for them all to sit down. Or rather, wait by their seats until the Queen had entered. When she did, Katherine burst though both open doors, carrying the trail of her dress in one hand. That was something Erin admired about her: she'd never seen the Queen in anything less than one of her elegant dresses. It looked exhausting.

Katherine strode right over to the table, Henry walking in her shadow.

Erin was seated between Patrick and Nina with the two brothers facing them on the opposite side.

"Oh stop with this protocol nonsense," the Queen clasped her hands together. "You could have started without me."

"Not at Christmas mother," Patrick spoke but his hand delved right for the food anyway.

"We have a long day ahead of us but please know that, when the cameras aren't around, it should be all about family." Katherine had sat at the head of the table- rightfully so- and she too started eating so the others followed suit. She waited until her mouth was empty before she spoke again. "We will be broadcast onto the television at 3pm, right after we'll be finished lunch. But you all know your individual schedules before that's upon us. You can all begin with those once, and only once, we're through with breakfast."

They fell into a quiet chatter, interrupted only by the servers bringing over more food.

Erin recoiled slightly in her chair: _if this was only breakfast, what the shit was lunch and dinner gonna look like?_ Her stomach hurt at the mere thought of it. Especially if she was gonna be wearing a rather fitted pant suit. Jeez.

As the members of the family reeled off what their first events of the day were, Jay's turn came around at last.

"Let me see. Christmas Day service at 11, lunch and then Gran's speech. Quiet afternoon for me," the smile he pulled reached his eyes- the older members of his family had a busier afternoon.

"A great opportunity to-"

"No way," Jay cut off his father, knowing he would be about to suggest something he wouldn't want to do. "I'm gonna need the theatre room tonight by the way so…" Thankful that nobody objected- but couldn't say anything about the evening he really wanted to his bodyguard- he reached out a food and aimed.

"Did you just _kick_ me?" Patrick lowered the glass he'd been drinking from in annoyance.

Jay's eyes widened in horror, realizing he'd obviously tempted a game of footsy with the wrong fucking foot. He watched as Erin subtly lowered her face, smirking. "My bad," the younger Prince shrugged, finishing off a crust of bread.

Patrick looked as though he was about to protest with something else but instead furrowed his eyebrows and continued his food.

"Nobody is disputing, you can have the theatre James," Queen Katherine took away the tension. "But there will _not,_ " her emphasis was on that word. "…be any repetition of what happened last time."

Her tone was stern and Erin looked between the monarch and her grandson. Jay didn't give anything away, holding his hands up in surrender. "That wasn't, it wasn't…" he shook his head and didn't finish his sentence.

Their breakfast gradually came to an end and they all trailed off, leaving the servants to clean up after them.

"So how do you usually celebrate Christmas?" Jay and Erin were the only ones left and he stood up, scraping his chair along the wooden floor and then running his hand along the table as he walked to the end of it.

"At work," Erin said, which was the truth. She'd never been one to celebrate the festive season a lot. She watched as Jay made it to her side of the table where she stood behind her chair.

"Alright maybe you are at work but you won't have duties later," he smirked, his eyes drifting towards the door. The cleaners and servers were still filtering in and out of the room so he kept his distance. He then looked back at Erin. "The morning service is in," Jay checked his watch. "..shit, twenty minutes. We'll be taking the limousines probably so there's no reason for you to do any driving today."

A grin spread across both of their faces as they temporarily flashed back to him teaching her to drive.

Jay continued. "We'll be meeting in the foyer soon. I'll see you there?"

* * *

"Now you know how it feels to fall asleep with your eyes open," Prince Jay uttered it loud enough for her to hear as they all stood in line waiting for the cameras.

Erin giggled behind her hand: she hated to admit it but the service at the church had been one of the most boring things she'd ever witnessed. _And they did this every year?_ They'd sung numerous songs Erin had never heard of, clapped for things she wasn't paying attention to and now they were gathered in the palace drawing room.

They were waiting- somewhat impatiently- for Queen Katherine's speech to start.

For Jay especially, time was dragging because after the televised commentary, the rest of the day was his.

Erin felt as though they'd been standing for hours and her eyes started wandering around the room, one she'd never been in before. Katherine had various photographs of her family hanging on the walls and Erin squinted to see them closely.

One of the collections was made up of wedding photographs: hers and Prince Henry's; Will and Nina's. She swallowed: Patrick's photograph with Jay and Will's mother was still on the wall even though she had passed.

A lump wedged itself in her throat: as dysfunctional as Prince Jay and the rest of his family were, they were still more of a unit than she'd ever got the chance to experience. Since breakfast, the men of the family hadn't even argued, though she put that down to it being Christmas.

The quiet in the room was broken when the media secretary cleared his throat. "When you're ready, Your Majesty," he said.

The Queen glided to where she was required and sat elegantly in the chair. "Good afternoon Britain, a Happy Christmas to all." She folded her clasped hands onto the small table in front of her. "We have lots of exciting prospects as we head into the New Year. My son, Prince Patrick, will be taking over the Commonwealth tour. My grandson William and his new wife Nina will be taking time away to move into a new part of the palace before embarking on a three-month tour of South America," her face seemed to soften the more she talked about her family.

"But I know most of you will be interested in what is in store for my youngest grandson James," Katherine's eyes flitted for a second to her grandson, who was unaware of what she was going to say. She was in charge of who went where. "He will spend a few months stationed around Europe, meeting those individuals who have contributed the most to his mother's charities. Then he will travel to Australia on his leg of the Royal tour."

"As for my husband and myself, we will hold fort at the palace and be on top of the conferences with Prime Ministers, Presidents and our fellow Royal families. I want to express my sincere gratitude for all listeners. I wish you warmth, wealth and happiness for the coming year."

When the camera beeped, Queen Katherine sagged her shoulders a little and relaxed. She looked relieved at the fact the speech was finished and she turned her shoulder towards where her family were stood. "You're dismissed," she waved a hand regally then wiped her brow. "I'm retiring to the bedroom."

Erin nodded: sometimes it was easy to forget the Queen's age, she had lots of duties and it was no wonder she was tired. As she turned towards the youngest Prince, it wasn't hard to notice the scowl etched on his face. "Australia, huh?"

"Yeah nice of her to spring that on me," Jay shook his head, heading out of the room. "You ever been to Australia?"

"Nowhere near," Erin shrugged, before realizing what he was getting at. "Wait," her mouth dropped.

"Oh yeah," Jay smirked and she followed as he made his way to the upper part of the palace again. Enough of the family time for the moment. "Don't you see? This is perfect," he walked a step ahead of Erin until they were out of sight of everybody else. "Three months away from my family means I can do this," he grabbed one of her fingers. "…and this," guided fingers from his other hand through one of her belt loop holes. "…anytime I want," he whispered the last words so close to her face that Erin thought he was about to kiss her but he didn't. _Teasing already, huh?_

"Wait for me in your bedroom," Jay pulled himself away, looking down at the pant suit she was wearing. He changed direction but kept his head turned towards her. "Christmas isn't over yet."

 **please review!**


	11. New Year

"Don't laugh," Jay hadn't even knocked at her door this morning, probably her own fault for not locking it. He shut the door with force behind him, collapsing into the couch in her bedroom. "I want to go out and celebrate New Year. It's one of my favorite holidays."

"Why would I laugh at that?" Erin turned away from her mirror. New Year in Chicago had never been anything special to her, but she knew other people celebrated.

"You don't understand," the Prince chuckled, pulling himself reluctantly away from the couch. "I'll have to show you." He made for Erin's bedroom door, motioning for her to follow.

She came to the wrong assumption that they would head towards Jay's chambers but he marched along an unfamiliar corridor- _was this palace growing them or something?_

Jay had opened a door that was painted the same color and pattern as the wall, meaning one wouldn't know it was there unless someone told them.

"Like I said," the young Prince fumbled around for a light switch and a small room was illuminated. Once he'd walked inside, he pulled Erin through the door. And she looked at where he'd brought her.

"Oh my God," the exclamation had left her mouth before she'd had the opportunity to stop it-but with good reason. The room resembled nothing of the rest of the palace: it looked more like a thrift store. Erin could hardly make out any of the walls, there were piles of brick-a-brac, stuff that definitely wouldn't be at home under Queen Katherine's nose.

Erin's eyes darted from one direction to the other as she tried to figure out just what the _hell_ the Prince had brought her to. "What is this place?"

"My dirty little secret I guess," Jay cackled, running an index finger along a pile of boxes. "But if I can just find," the Prince's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "A-ha!" Manoeuvring several containers out of his way, he used both arms to grip what he was looking for and moved it to a free space on the floor.

"This is why I said don't laugh," after rummaging for a minute, Jay hid his face and then looked at Erin.

As she made eye contact, Erin suppressed her laughter behind her hand. He'd stuck a fake moustache onto his upper lip, holding a pair of costume glasses, fiddling with the arms.

"I said I wanted to go out for New Year," he stuck out his tongue. "And by that I mean out as in _outside_ these four fucking walls," he rolled his eyes. "Going incognito means I can enjoy a normal nightclub like a normal person. I feel like I'm missing out on something. It's a whole lot different to the 'nightclub' we have here-"

"You have a nightclub _inside_ the palace?!" Erin spluttered but didn't know why she was surprised. It was almost as though every faculty to ever exist was inside the palace.

Jay scoffed. "If you can call it that. It's strictly only for use when Granny says so, which is usually for Christmas or New Year. Or a special occasion. And of course she gets to decide the guestlist. Last year she chose to invite a _lot_ of people I attended school with. Said it would be 'fun' for me…which it was not."

Erin didn't know if she wanted to know more. She played with a colorful scarf as the Prince continued.

"Grandmother dearest seems to believe that just because she was married under the age of 30 that everybody else should be too. As soon as she discovered Will was _betrothed_ to Nina, her attention of course turned to me." He stood up, kicking a box across the floor and looked on as she fidgeted. "Hence why she invited so many of the tossers I went to school with, thinking she could set me up with one of them and...BAM!" The Prince rolled his eyes again. "Obviously that's not the way things worked out, she'll probably try the same trick this year…" he smirked in Erin's direction, already scheming "…so we're not going."

"What else did you have in mind?" Erin raised an eyebrow. Half of her was sceptical: she knew the younger Prince had a tendency for exaggeration. _Would Queen Katherine really do that to her grandson? Or had she simply thrown him a party and invited who she thought were his friends?_ She couldn't be sure but anyway, this year Jay had other ideas.

"I want to go to Purple Leopard, they have a ticket only event this year." He retrieved his box of stupid disguises. "People know you're my Bodyguard now, you'll have to join in the fun," motioning to the box, he started laughing.

"Oh God you're serious," Erin grinned, side-eying him.

"Of course I'm serious, don't you get it?" Now ignoring the box in front of him, he tossed away whatever her hands were toying with and pulled her by the waist towards him. "We can have a night out together without being recognised. I might even let you be my New Year's kiss," he traced the line of her jaw with his first finger.

Erin swallowed: being in such a close proximity with him- alone and secretly- gave her butterflies inside. It didn't help how she was turned on whenever they were together…which was all the freaking time.

"Take your pick," Jay said, his voice low as he cleared his throat. His gaze stayed on her as Erin crouched onto the floor and rummaged around in the box. After a minute, she started laughing.

"Are these-"

"Yup. Contact lenses. I wore the red ones when I dressed as a vampire for Halloween," he wasn't joking. "Don't worry, they're fresh pairs," he joked.

"I'll take the blue ones," Erin said, shoving the small package in the back of her jeans. She had _no_ fucking intention of wearing the lenses on a night out- anything not necessary to improve her eyesight wouldn't be going anywhere near her eyeballs. _And wasn't that an extreme length to go to for a disguise? My God._

"What about you?" Erin stood up, looking over at Jay. "What look you gonna go for?"

"I was thinking Italian macho," he pulled out a fake moustache that twirled into spirals at both ends. "Stick on a few fake freckles. Put on a wig and tie my hair into a pony."

Erin threw her head back laughing. "I draw the line at the ponytail," she replied. "But this could be kinda fun."

* * *

Erin slammed her bedroom door closed behind her, breathing out the biggest breath. Sometimes spending time with the family was _exhausting_ , especially when they were all together.

She'd had to sit through an awkward New Year's Eve dinner, where Queen Katherine thought it would be a good idea for everybody to air their dirty laundry before the new year. That great idea had led to an argument breaking out between Jay, his brother and his father about something so stupid Erin couldn't even recall what it was.

Which had then left Katherine and Henry to sort them out but they hadn't exactly departed on good terms. A fantastic start to the new year..

Erin ran a hand through her hair; _yep it probably needed washing before she headed out tonight._ If tonight was even still happening…

She'd stripped down to her underwear and was standing in front of the bathroom mirror when she heard the door slam again. Twice as hard this time.

She peered around the bathroom door to see Jay pacing, probably hard enough to dent her carpet if he kept it up. "Remind me to start locking my door behind me," Erin said, attempting to lift his mood. He'd upped and left from the dinner table before she'd even hot a chance to follow him. _Maybe it's best he has time to himself to cool off_ she remembered thinking.

Jay stopped walking around so fast and found her gaze, his frowning brow softening when he saw her looked. She only had four fingers and her face in his view- and Erin intended to keep it that way.

"I hate them," he clenched then unclenched his fists.

"No you don't," Erin went back to what she was doing but spoke loud enough for him to hear. "I'm going in the shower!" She heard footsteps as they quickly headed towards her bathroom door.

"Mind if I-"

"No!" Erin was alert to notice his fingers as they curled around the doorframe. She closed her eyes and cursed herself: for she still was body self-conscious in front of him. They'd had sex in the dark, she wasn't ready for him to see her body properly. She bit her lower lip hard while thinking of the right thing to say. "Did you still wanna go out?"

"I think I need to," his reply came from the other side of the door and she watched as Jay slowly retreated his fingers.

 _Fuck. Had she offended him?_

"When do I have to be ready?"

"Take your time. I'll head back in here when I'm showered myself."

The confidence still in his tone told Erin that maybe he wasn't pissed after all. "Okay," she leaned close to the wooden door, listening for his footfall as it got further away. Then she heard the chamber door click and knew she was alone again.

Erin revelled in the feeling of the hot water from the oversized showerhead as it drenched her skin. She lathered her dirt blonde hair with shampoo and massaged it through her temples. The feeling of the water relaxed even the muscles she hadn't realized she'd been putting to use.

Eventually, Erin shut off the water and patted her damp body dry with a towel.

 _Oh God she was actually going to a nightclub._ Somewhere she hadn't been in years. If you didn't count the times she'd been to one whilst on duty in Chicago, the last time she'd partied in one would have been during a time she didn't want to think about. She wondered if the party scene was different in England: the same shit would probably be going down, she couldn't deny that.

 _And what was she supposed to wear?_ Technically, she was still employed as Prince Jay's bodyguard so she would have to pretend to be on duty if anything were to happen. But she was still going to a club son wanted to look good.

Erin's brow furrowed together the way they always did when she was concentrating. Because she _might_ have just come up with something.

By the time a knock came again at her door, Erin was almost done. She made her way from the mirror to answer the knocking.

"Please tell me you're ready," Jay was already starting their conversation before she'd opened the door fully. "I'm not sure how long I can wait for a vodka-" his eyes eventually found her and his jaw dropped. A swallow. "Jesus, you are… _ready_."

 _Was it the reaction she'd been expecting?_ She surely didn't look like herself, but if tonight was all about disguising…

The Prince was still looking at her, his eyes wandering around everything from the red nail polish on her to the red lipstick and dark eyeshadow on her face. She'd dug _deep_ deep into the back of her closet for a revealing and far-too-low-cut top that highlighted her cleavage.

Erin had paired it with high-waisted black jeans (well, she didn't wanna be _too_ overdressed) and open-toed shoes to reveal the splash of color on her toenails. It somehow made her feel ballsy.

"You look…good," Jay gulped, helping himself into her bedroom. "Did you start on your minibar?"

Erin swivelled quickly to face him. "I have a minibar?!"

Her genuine surprised made the Prince laugh and she watched as he walked over to a concealed drawer of her bed and pulled it open. It was full almost of miniatures, of almost every hard liquor Erin has heard of. By the time she'd taken in the new discovery and made her way over to her bed, Jay had helped himself to a small measure of whisky and downed it before she'd decided what to go for.

"Vodka," Erin announced her favorite tipple and the Prince smirked, took out a few nips for her and a couple more for himself.

"Obviously I forgot to give you that part of the tour- the party under your bed," Jay laughed, balancing the small bottles on one of Erin's shelves. "You can call downstairs when it gets empty," he added, unscrewing the caps of both simultaneously and giving Erin hers.

"To a fun night," another of his boyish smirks worked its way across his face. He motioned for her to cheers and they both knocked back the liquor, each wearing a poker face even though it burnt both their throats.

"A fun night," Erin repeated, quieter, using two fingers to remove the drop of vodka that had wet the corner of her lip.

"We have a few hours to kill," the Prince realized, checking his watch. Jay knew, to blend in the best, they should arrive at the nightclub at the same time as everybody else. "20 questions?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Hate to break it to you but I am not 15," Erin giggled, gently playing off his reaction. "Cheers," her hands grabbed for another couple of miniature bottles and she downed the next one, not hesitating to wait for the Prince.

"I, for one, am glad you're not 15," Jay tossed back another mouthful. Realizing how that statement must have sounded, he slammed the empty container onto the side, his eyes widening. "That's not…I didn't say that the way I wanted," he shook his head.

To his relief, Erin was grinning; obviously she got what he meant. "How much time do we have to kill?" she asked him, realizing her repetition of his phrase, something she would never have said before she moved here.

"We have time for a couple more," he winked. Then he noticed the familiar dark hazel of her eyes. "Hey, you're not wearing your contacts," the Prince realized.

"I'm not putting those things _anywhere_ near my eyes," Erin said, laughing it off.

"Here, I'll do it," he'd spotted where Erin had left the blue lenses in their packaging by her mirror and vanity. Jay scooped them into his palm and flipped them the correct way so the curve was faced down.

"Don't you dare!" Erin held her hands in front of her face in a bid to stop him but it only made the Prince more determined to get them in.

"Tilt your head back," he stuck out his tongue and she complied, her jaw raising as the back of her head reclined. "Now hold still," Jay's voice came out more gentle, soothing even.

Erin tried with everything in her not to squeeze her eyes shut and she found herself grabbing onto the Prince's wrist as he put the lenses over her irises. She felt the exact moment the foreign objects stuck themselves over her eyes, and it took her a minute to blink until it felt natural.

"Alright, look at me," Jay had taken his hands away from her face but they were still mid-air, almost as though he wanted to put them somewhere else. Erin had brought her head back to normal but still thought she was blinking funny: _this was people's idea of fun?_

"They're obviously nothing compared to those pretty brown eyes of yours," the Prince winked before his attention promptly turned to another thing he was always interested in: alcohol.

Erin took the opportunity to check out her reflection in the mirror, rather surprised that she didn't hate the fact that looked back. She'd never imagined herself with blue eyes and it was a revelation just how different she looked. Given that she never ( _never_ ) dressed like this either, she could actually resemble a completely different person. Which is exactly what Jay had planned for a night like this.

"Okay so, ready?" the Prince pushed another nip into Erin's palm before she could resist and she downed it, immediately feeling the effects because she hadn't ate a whole lot today. _Oh boy_ she thought _tonight could go one of two ways._

The Prince had already organized a car and it was waiting for them just inside the palace gates. A normal and subtle black cab, so they would blend in with the rest of society.

Jay headed quickly towards the cab but Erin followed a step behind. She'd never seen the grounds of the palace so quiet: there was usually something happening. It kinda felt thrilling that she was leaving for a night out partying.

The goose-pimples breaking out on her forearms made Erin rush towards the waiting cab and shuffle into the back seat next to Jay. He was already in conversation with their driver but they came to a pause when Erin pulled the door closed.

"Erin, this is Tom," the Prince patted the shoulder of their chauffer. "We've been friends since we were...what, three?" he looked across to the driver's seat for confirmation.

"Yeah, sounds about right," Tom replied, his accent totally different to that of the Prince's. So different, in fact, that Erin wondered how their paths had crossed. She made a mental note to ask Jay later, she could perhaps trigger a good childhood memory.

"Okay Tommy, take us to the Leopard," Jay sat back, careful not to crease his shirt and slid a hand across until it rested over Erin's knee. He gave her a sly wink before turning his attention out of the window. He still held up conversation with his friend and Erin relaxed, listening to their topics as they drove further into the city.

"What have you been up to then Tom-ster?" the Prince said with a laugh, his accent somehow sounding relaxed, apparently because of who he was talking to.

"Oh you know, the usual," Jay's friend tapped a tune against the driver's wheel as he drove. "Beth had the baby- a boy this time so I've got one of each!" A victory punch into the air and a chuckle which made both of his passengers laugh. "Little Tommy Junior- hey, you'll have to come to the christening! Lily would love to see ya! She's three now, ya know? I can't believe it…" Tom trailed off for a minute, humming in time to the music playing in the background.

"You'll come, won't ya Jay? Come for a pint as well?"

"I wouldn't miss it," with his free hand, the Prince patted his friend's shoulder. "Just tell me when and I'll be there."

"You found a lady yet, man?" Tom continued, shooting them a sneaky look through the rear view mirror. "Can't just keep pissing about for the rest of your life!"

Erin held her breath as she felt Jay squeeze her thigh before replying. "Maybe," the Prince answered cryptically, avoiding looking at either one of them. But Erin could see him smirking to himself out of the window.

"Oh come ON, man!" Tom yelled, swerving a quick left down a dark street. "Who is she?"

"For now, she's just mine," Jay chuckled. "And you'll be the first to know, when the time is right. You know how those fucking vultures would react if I said something. I'm enjoying the privacy," Jay said.

His last comment meant Erin was smiling out of the window too, watching as they neared their destination. The Prince had clearly brought her to one of the most lively parts of town and her eyes followed the lines of Londoners, desperate to get into the nightclubs.

"Pull over at the back entrance please Tommy," Jay requested, leaning forward where he sat to check the journey hadn't ruined his shirt. It made Erin want to laugh: the Prince that she'd seen many times around the palace in his sweats couldn't have cared less about his appearance.

Tom pulled their cab to a stop outside a large grey building- though that could barely be made out behind the balloons, string lights and various decoration that had been put out for the New Year's celebrations.

They'd driven to the quieter entrance- presumably for Jay because he didn't want to queue- so Erin couldn't see a lot of people, but she could certainly hear the music. And it made her eager to get inside.

Tommy had killed the engine and swivelled in his seat so his body was facing them. He looked at Erin, presenting a cheesy grin that made him seem like the friendliest person on the planet. "So _you're_ the Bodyguard, huh?" he nodded, pulling an impressed face. "Well you'll for sure have to keep an eye on this one," he chuckled, pointing at Jay. "Have you seen the way he parties yet? Yeah…well, enjoy!" Tom turned back to face the front of the car, whistling.

Jay was shaking his head as he reached into the pocket of his jeans. Out of his wallet, he pulled three £50 notes and slapped them into his friend's hand.

"Woah man, no way! You've only been in the car for ten minutes-" Tom was attempting to return the money to the Prince but Jay wasn't having any of it.

"Keep it. Take Beth out to dinner. Buy something for the kids. And let's not leave it as long next time," Jay patted the driver's shoulder again before opening the rear door.

Erin muttered a shy goodbye to Jay's friend then followed his movement out of the cab.

"Follow me," the Prince summoned her to the opposite side of the road, towards the concealed entrance of the nightclub. As they approached the door, two stocky security stepped in front of them. Whilst one opened their mouth (presumably to tell them to use the other entrance) the other's jaw dropped in surprise. He clearly recognized Jay, even through his attempt at concealment. This one nudged his friend before the other could say anything, and whispered something in his ear.

Erin watched as the other guy followed suit and realized too, his eyes drifting from her to Jay then back to her again.

"Your Highness," the quiet and awkward voice that came out didn't exactly match the muscly and stocky build of the man it came from. The other one gave them both a wristband and stamped the inside of their wrists.

Jay nodded his thanks and pulled Erin into the building, their eyes immediately adjusting to the darkness.

"Hey, listen," the secret entrance meant they were alone in the corridor before joining the main area of the club. Erin felt, but couldn't see, Jay pulling her closer and halting their movement.

"They recognized me," he sighed. "Which means people inside will too. So I need you to kiss me…in case we can't do it inside." A hint of disappointment in the Prince's tone meant she didn't need to be asked twice.

She spun around the face him, one of her hands trailing the line of his jaw before resting in the nape of his neck. Then she found his lips with her own, running her tongue along the crevice of his mouth. The Prince opened his mouth in surprise and grabbed her ass with both hands, walking them towards the wall.

She wiggled her tongue in deeper, wrapping it in continuous circles with his. Only when Jay made a noise of pleasure did she reluctantly back away.

"Where are you going?" Jay whispered, his hands still remaining firmly in their position and his mouth had moved to her neck.

"I want to go inside," was her reply and then she was pulling him along the corridor, towards the disco lights and loud music.

The door that they went on to walk through told Erin they were on the upper level, there were other people dancing beneath them. She walked out into a secluded balcony, a few tables lined with drinks and a bar in one corner.

"V.I.P section," Jay said from behind her, before setting his sights on the free drinks provided in front of them. "Oh, nice!" he picked up something that looked like vodka, added some lemonade and then took a swig.

Erin was still taking in her surroundings: there were only a few others on this level with them, most of whom had turned to stare at her and Jay when they'd entered. She gulped: apparently his attempts at disguising them wasn't as successful as his previous attempts.

Still, they seemed to know better than to cause a scene around the Prince and soon went back to their own conversations.

Erin closed her eyes, her attention turning to the music. She could feel herself swaying, slowly increasing the rhythm when the beat dropped. She walked over to the balcony, looking over the glass at the rest of the people. _Wow, this club was huge._

It felt like being back undercover- pretending to be somebody different.

Erin was still looking over the balcony, her hips moving in time with the music when she felt a hand snake around her lower back. "I thought you didn't wanna do that in public-"

The touch made her spin around quickly, fully expecting to see Jay stood behind her. Instead, she found a sleazy drunk, clearly thinking it was acceptable to feel her up like a piece of meat. He was sucking his lower lip- probably trying to look seductive and darting his eyes quickly between her face and breasts.

Unluckily for him, he didn't know about Erin's cop training. The second after she figured our he was just some random trying to cop a feel, her reflexes kicked in and, whilst still making it look subtle so as to not cause a scene, caught the man in an armlock and sent him sauntering off in the opposite direction.

The adrenaline was still pumping through her veins when she heard laughter and the start of a slow clap. Erin turned to her left, relieved to actually see Jay this time.

"That was kinda impressive," the Prince raised his eyebrows, still continuing the applause. His tone lowered. "Not to mention…incredibly hot." A smirk worked its way across his face.

"I wasn't aware assholes like _that_ still existed!" Jay pushed a drink into her hand and she took it, eagerly knocking back a decent amount of the liquid. "It was …whatever," Erin shook off the comment, her head spinning as the alcohol she'd just downed combined with the amount already inside her.

She pulled at the cuff of Jay's shirt he was wearing. "Let's dance!"

Erin led him towards the dancefloor, not having to tell him twice and they managed to squeeze between the club-goers already dancing. They were dancing incredibly close, perhaps both of them forgot about the rules that were supposed to be in play tonight.

When they heard the song change, the DJ in charge of music also started counting down: it was almost New Year.

They joined in: "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year to you too," Jay smirked, leaning in close to whisper in Erin's ear.

"And you," Erin shouted back over the music. She threw her head back and started laughing, watching the confetti and streamers as they seemed to reproduce from the ceiling.

Erin found herself laughing hysterically, a ridiculous and childish giggle that she couldn't stop. She kinda understood why Jay liked the New Year holiday so much, this scene around her was amazing. Plus, Erin couldn't remember the last time she'd let her hair down like this.

It felt euphoric.

And she'd almost forgotten where she was until Jay closed in on her side, joining her laughter.

"How often do you come here?" she asked him, curious.

"Not half as much as I used to," Jay confessed. "Practically all the time when I was what….21 maybe?" He hoped she wasn't picturing who he might have been back then. "There's a lot of my teenage memories hidden within these four walls," he revealed, nodding as though getting lost in one.

"I can imagine," Erin replied. There'd been a bar back in Chicago that had probably been the equivalent for her. "Maybe you can tell me about them sometime," sometimes Erin still felt as though she didn't know a whole lot about the Prince. And she wanted to, inside and out.

A smirking look spread across Jay's face. "Oh you'll regret saying that… did you forget you'll be accompanying me on a 24 hour flight to Australia next week? That's plenty of time for talking."

 _Oh shit_ Erin said to herself. She _had_ let Jay's impending royal tour slip her mind. She'd never been to the southern hemisphere of the world before. "I can't wait to hear all about it then," Erin laughed.

She finished the remainder of her drink, apparently just in time before Jay started yanking on her arm. "Wait, what are you doing?" She noticed he was leading her towards the exit: he'd just been talking about how much he liked this place and now he wanted to leave?

"The palace might not know how to throw the best parties but they know a thing or two about fireworks. If we leave now," he checked his watch. "We should be just in time for them. Let's go."

 **please review!**


	12. Private Jet

"Your full name please?" Despite the added _please_ at the end of the question, the man sitting directly in front of Erin was a total asshole. And his attitude towards her s _tank_.

She shuffled slightly in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Erin Lindsay," she said back.

"Age?"

She cleared her throat. "28."

"Nationality?"

"American." _Was she just supposed to be giving one-worded answers?_ She _was_ giving him the information she needed-

"Next of kin?" The Australian federal agent in front of her had an unemotional look on his face, like a robot. Sure he had to do his job but he gave Erin the creeps. And his latest question made her grimace.

He grew impatient as he watched her face for an answer, his brow furrowed into a deep line. "Well?"

Erin looked at him blankly, her mouth moving but no coherent sentences coming out. "I…no…I don't-" To her ultimate relief, the door to the small room they were occupying burst open and Prince Jay strode in, not even slightly concerned he'd interrupted something important.

"What's going on here? Why is this taking so long?" He stopped behind where the man was seated, one hand resting on the back of his chair, the other on his hip.

As soon as Jay had started speaking, the agent's demeanour changed. "Your…uh… _Highness_..I was just…uh…you know it's protocol…I have to ask Ms Lindsay these questions," he cleared his throat, that took him a few seconds. "We were…uh," he stumbled. "..up to the question…we're almost finished…I just need to know Ms Lindsay's next of kin…"

As the man spoke, Jay's eyes flitted to the opposite chair and its occupant. Erin found his gaze and shook her head, as if it was a silent plea to avoid the subject.

"Why exactly do you need that information?" Jay gave Erin a sly wink before quizzing the guy.

"With all due respect-" the agent stopped and clamped his mouth shut: he was one of the individuals responsible for whoever came and went across the border in Australia, but the Halstead royals were a very powerful and rich influential family. If their youngest member was about to quiz his questioning…the agent gulped.

He tried to rethink his sentence but Jay got there first. "She's not going to be entering the country alone or anything, she'll be with me. And all my people. If you need to put down a contact, put down one of those." He shrugged. "Put me."

The agent looked as though he was about to protest for a hot second but he closed his mouth. "Yes, well. I think that is everything I need," he nodded to himself and stood up, shuffling the pages in his notebook until it was closed. He adjusted his hat and finally offered a small smile, turning up the corners of his mouth. Even such a minute gesture made him seem like a different person to Erin. Only five minutes ago the guy had been interrogating her for information (and probably not all strictly information he needed for her Visa) but now he even appeared friendly.

The pair of them watched the older guy as he shuffled towards the door, leaving it ajar behind him.

Erin stood up, stretched- _just how long had she been sitting in that chair?!_ \- and walked over to Jay.

"How much longer were you guys gonna be in here?" the Prince raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?" he traced a finger front the end of her T-shirt sleeve to her wrist.

"You know, it was actually okay until that last question," Erin laughed, not thinking too much into it. Maybe it _had_ felt intense at the time, Jay had interrupted right on the best cue. "I'm betting not all Australians are like that, he was probably just doing his job." Erin was actually surprised at herself for being nice about the agent.

"Speaking of," the Prince smirked. "That's why I came in here," he sighed. "Grandmother dearest requires our presence in the drawing room," he said it in his best Queen Katherine voice, his impression making it impossible for Erin to hold in her laughter.

Jay grinned, putting his hand into his pocket but still holding out his arm. "Shall we?"

Erin rolled her eyes and linked her hand through the gap in Jay's.

He kept up the mocking impression until they reached the corner of the palace nearest the drawing room. Erin dropped her hand back to her side because of their mutual decision to keep dating a secret. It made it more _thrilling_ that way.

"Here goes nothing," Jay muttered, right before they stepped through the door.

Queen Katherine was sitting at the furthest point away from the door, the opposite side of the long table. Upon closer inspection, Her Royal Highness had her glasses perched on the end of her nose and she seemed to be surrounded by paperwork. Not noticing she had company at first, Jay cleared his throat and the older lady jumped, suddenly startled.

"Oh for f- _Goodness,_ James, I wish you wouldn't do that!" The Queen pushed up her glasses so her eyes looked normal size again and nodded, beckoning the pair of them over with a regal gesture. "Erin, dear, please sit down."

Erin followed order and sat to Katherine's left, leaving Jay to occupy her right.

"Now," their asses had barely touched the seats before the Queen started talking. "As you know, the helicopter will be here in the morning at 7am sharp to take you to Heathrow airport. The royal jet will then depart at 9am, taking you first to Melbourne. Here, you of course _know_ I have duties with my Commonwealth. I trust you are aware of their importance to me," (Erin wasn't but she didn't wanna let on so she just nodded, her silence a sign for the Queen to continue…)

"After a brief spell in Melbourne, you will move onto Sydney where you will open the new Tarronga Zoo and meet with the Prime Minister. You will attend the banquet a few nights later and present medals to the servicemen," Katherine seemed to pause sympathetically, shooting a glance at her grandson before continuing.

"Then you will move onto more of the Gold Coast and be there to officiate the Aphrodite Games," Katherine had continued to talk, unaware she had lost Erin's attention.

She instead had turned her concentration to the other occupant in the room: Jay's face looked as though it has missed a beat when she mentioned this _event_. Erin noticed that he quickly recovered though, and she wouldn't have seen if she hadn't been looking.

Erin made a mental note to ask him something about it when they were alone. For now though, she better had turn her attention back to Queen Katherine.

"…and if you do manage to do all of _that_ in the first three weeks, that leaves you with the final seven days to enjoy the beautiful island," Katherine's eyes slid closed and her hand crossed to her chest. "Hey, if I was ten years younger I would be visiting myself but alas…" She pulled at the skin on her face then started laughing. "This time around I leave her in your – ahem – _capable_ hands," she appeared to side-eye both of them. "I have a lot of important work to do," a big sigh. "You are dismissed."

Erin was so used to the Queen's personality nowadays that she knew not to be offended at being dismissed so easily. All Jay did was raise his eyebrows and both of them headed for the door.

" _You are dismissed_ ," Jay's impression of his grandmother had returned and Erin had to slap a hand over her mouth so the Queen wouldn't hear her giggling. Like a child. She was giggling at Jay like a child.

The Prince seemed to be waiting for her to stop, leaning against the wall wearing a stupid grin. When her laughter died down, something inside her stomach grumbled.

"Hungry, huh? Yeah, me too," the Prince had the kind of look on his face that told Erin he was up to something. "What do you say to take-out food and a sleepover?"

* * *

Erin had just about had time to shower- and tidy her room, _that had felt like a fucking chore_ , and climb into bed before Jay turned up. _Wait, was he actually knocking this time? Weird_ she thought _because usually he just barged in of his own accord._

As soon as Erin made it to the other side of the room to open the door, she realized why.

Jay's hands were _full_ with take-out food cartons.

Erin scoffed. "My God, how much food did you order?!"

Jay plagued innocence. "What are you talking about? Oh shit, were you hungry? This is just for me," he winked, motioning for her to shut the door quickly behind him. "I think I could hear footsteps behind me so, you know, better safe than sorry," he dropped what he was carrying and slid the catch to lock on Erin's bedroom door.

After he'd done so, his attention turned back to the paper bags. "I figured I never asked you what kinda food you felt like eating so I went for a mixture," he laughed, bent down, beginning to unravel the packaging.

Erin shook her head: shit, he hadn't been kidding. He produced Chinese food, Thai food, proper junk food…

Her stomach rumbled on cue. She took a carton from the Prince's grip and scrambled over to her bed, crossing her legs beneath her. _Screw the crumbs_ she told herself, _hunger definitely tops messiness tonight._

Jay watched her, laughing as she stuffed pieces of fried chicken into her mouth.

"This is _so_ good," she managed to get out between mouthfuls.

The Prince bent quickly to pick up the cartons and followed Erin to where she now sat on top of her comforter. Seeing him, she shuffled towards the further side of the bed and Jay plonked in the now-vacant space, his eyes widening as he concentrated on not spilling take-out mess all over her silky comforter.

"Yeah, I know _all_ the best take-out places around here," Jay twirled some golden noodles around his fork.

"Mhm," came Erin's reply, her attention (for the moment) more on the food than her company. She reached for the controller to turn on the TV. "What should we watch?"

"How about that new Adam Sandler movie? I've heard great things," he suggested, disrupting their conversation by crumpling some take-out packet loudly.

"Sure," Erin touched a few buttons to bring up the Netflix app. She scooped out the last few mouthfuls she was eating and threw the carton into the trash pile Jay had started at the side of her bed.

The Prince- being the quicker eater, the one with the bigger mouth-was half way through another box of appetizers before Erin was finished hers. When she did, the carton was thrown to the carpet and Erin flung herself down in the bed.

"Okayyy so maybe my eyes are bigger than my stomach," she groaned.

It earned her a laugh in return. "Well mine definitely aren't," Jay shovelled a forkful of spring roll into his mouth. "Speaking of though…I for one happen to like your eyes," a smirk.

Erin pushed herself up to lean on her elbows and returned the grin. "Yeah?" She looked away, towards the television set. "Good to know."

She relaxed a little, her attention caught by the action beginning to happen in the movie she'd flicked onto whilst Jay finished eating.

Eventually, realizing perhaps he _had_ gone overboard on the food order, he took the empties and leftovers to the opposite side of the room beside Erin's trashcan. Making his way back to the bed, his arm snaked around her body and she manoeuvred slightly so his arm rested beneath her.

His attention-seemingly unlike Erin's- couldn't concentrate on the movie. Instead, the fingers of his other hand played with the hem lining of Erin's plain tank top. He enticed up the material, folding it just past her navel.

Then his lips were on her bare stomach after he'd swiftly moved to claim his arm back.

Apparently his intentions were pretty clear and it didn't take Erin a minute to realize and her attention to draw away from the movie. "Jay," she mumbled, at first torn between playing along or watching the ending of the movie.

His torso had moved to balancing above her and she could feel the Prince's eyes as they dug into her skull. _Yeah…screw the movie ending._

Erin wriggled slightly until she was comfortable, then pulled at the neck of Jay's T-shirt until he was close enough to kiss her.

"You're so attractive when you smell like Chinese food," the Prince even managed to make that sound seductive, his lips and eyes following a circular pattern around her face. They eventually found Erin's- only after she'd let out a childish giggle at his comment- and then his tongue did and then his mouth found her neck and…

Both of them shot up in unison when the room filled with the most annoying and constant alarm sound.

"I don't fucking believe it," there was definite anger in Jay's voice. "Somebody set off the fucking fire alarm."

* * *

Said alarm- thank Goodness- hadn't been serious and only caused by a small accident in the palace kitchens. Somebody- presumably not employed at the London palace _anymore_ \- had forgotten about the small hors d'oeuvres that were supposed to feed guests of Prince Patrick. Their evenings had been cut short anyway when the alert had caused everybody (every single last person) to vacate the Palace and gather at the safety point… a mile away from the Palace.

But Erin had been sort of grateful that everybody's attention had been on rushing out, instead of it being on the Prince sneaking out of her bedroom.

It was another alarm that woke her the next morning- though she had managed to sleep through the first five. _Shit_ was her initial thought. It was 7:30am and she and Prince Jay were flying to Australia today for his royal tour.

She had only just managed to silence the buzzing when a loud rapping came from the other side of her bedroom door. Knowing it would only be Jay, she stumbled along the carpet and unattractively rubbed goop out of her eye as she pulled the door open… to reveal Queen Katherine.

"Ohh!" the tone of surprise escaped Erin before she could stop it. "Your Highness…I'm sorry…I was expecting-"

"My grandson, no doubt," the faintest smile tugged at the corners of Queen Katherine's mouth. "Erin, do you have any idea what time it is? You have to board the private jet in approximately ten minutes!"

 _Was it rude to interrupt a Monarch?_ Erin definitely thought so, and didn't speak until she thought the Queen had finished. "But I haven't even packed," she did well to disguise the panic- this was _definitely_ what could be described as "leaving things until last minute".

Still Erin could have sworn she had more time.

A strange grin spread across Queen Katherine's face. "Darling," she started with a term of endearment, one she'd never called Erin before. "Do you think we would let you do the packing?" she cackled. "You are there in Australia as a representative of my family, and you _have_ to look the part." The Queen looked away, avoiding eye contact with Erin. "Your suitcase is ready and waiting. Now come," she turned on her heel and held the train of her expensive dress in one hand, motioning Erin to follow with the other.

Behind her, Erin gulped. _Oh god, she didn't know what to expect._

 _The suitcase and rest of her luggage for a lengthy trip were already packed?_ Erin hadn't checked her closet before she'd left- but she was pretty sure nobody else had been in there…meaning her own clothes and belongings hadn't moved.

 _So what the fuck had Katherine packed up for her? Oh God…_

Realizing she couldn't technically do anything about it right at this minute, she followed a step behind Jay's grandmother as Katherine led her through numerous corridors of the Palace, presumably a shortcut for where the helicopter was waiting.

Eventually, the older woman effortlessly pushed open what had looked like an extremely heavy door.

The cold temperature from outdoors was the first thing that hit them and Erin felt a shiver run through her veins. The private jet was the next thing she saw, not that you could miss it. Even the propeller itself was bigger than anything Erin had _ever_ flown on.

As her feet took her closer, she saw the removeable staircase leading up to the glass doorway. And Jay standing at the top of it, waiting for her.

He'd been looking over the just-about-light horizon before he'd heard them coming. "There you are," he had to shout to be heard over the noise of the aircraft. He lifted a hand to wave and Erin wasn't sure whether he aimed it at her or it was an attempt to dismiss his Grandmother. But then- as Queen Katherine struck up quick conversation with who Erin assumed was their pilot- Jay's hand flipped direction and he beckoned her with a curled finger, grinning. And she could have sworn he'd mouthed the words _"Come here."_

A second later she was ascending the stairs quickly, reaching the top in no time, misjudging the distance and knocking the Prince back into the warmth of the aircraft.

Jay started to laugh. "Woah there, easy tiger," he winked. "I know we were so _very_ rudely interrupted last night and believe me I can't wait to pick up where we left off, but you could at _least_ try and control yourself around me while my Granny is just right there," he'd grabbed onto her elbows to stop them both falling over.

Erin shook her head, joining in with his laughter. "Jeez, I cant help it that you're _soo_ irresistible," she teased back, wriggling out of his grip to get a better look at where she was going to be spending the next few hours.

It felt kind of incomprehensible that something this grand in structure could fly them through the air. Let alone- through nine hours time difference- to the other side of the world. From the inside though, it didn't look like an airplane to Erin. No, the interior fit more with what the Palace looked like, rather than what she knew other aircrafts resembled on the inside.

There were only ten seats, each a foot apart but probably size enough to fit two people on each. There was a bar on the left side and boxes on the right. A plasma screen was fixed to the wall that led to the cockpit.

It wouldn't even feel like she was going to be flying, this would feel like relaxing in a lounge. With the added comfort of endless alcohol at her side. And the company.

She was still taking it in when Jay appeared at her side, his arms folded across his chest. "If this little thing impresses you, I can't wait to see your reactions when we're in Australia," he smiled, the sides of his mouth reaching halfway up his cheeks. "You've never been right?"

"Right," she nodded. "You have?"

"Oh, of course," there was a small pause and Jay looked as though he gulped. "The Aphrodite Games my Grandmother was talking about…my mother was the founder," his gaze averted to look out of the window.

The sun was beginning to rise and the changing color of the sky framed his face in a golden hue. "She didn't believe that only the most able and elite should get to compete in the Olympics- so she made her own."

The Prince looked as though he could get caught up in the memory until he suddenly shook his head. "The rest of my family have been to the opening ceremony since she died but they just don't _get_ how much it meant to her. The organizations and charities my mother was responsible for creating… the rest of my family use it as an excuse to put on some kind of show," his brow slowly furrowed the more he continued to talk.

"They act up for the media and the press love it. But these are ordinary individuals that my mother made believe in themselves as though they were extraordinary." He let out a little laugh. "That came out wrong. You know what I mean."

"I do," Erin's hand reached out to affectionately touch his arm. "This year the games will be opened properly," it was her attempt to comfort the clearly agitated Prince. She was about to lean in even closer but a noise from behind them made her spin.

"Sorry to interrupt," the man dressed in uniform, the one that had been talking to Queen Katherine, spoke and grinned at them both. "I just don't want to get behind schedule…if you two are about ready to go?"

 _People in England are so fucking polite_ Erin thought, _he's supposed to be in control here (flying a huge freaking plane) and he's still asking them if they're ready, instead of insisting._

"Aye aye Captain," Jay said back, choosing and moving to the sofa chair that was nearest the bar. He reached to either side of him, fastening and tightening the safety belt around his waist.

Erin chose the one adjacent and repeated his actions until she was securely seated.

"Then we'll be taking off in five minutes," their pilot smiled back, shouting afterwards out of the open doorway for them to remove the stairway.

They would be in the air, on route to the other side of the world soon.

* * *

Nine hours into a 24 hour flight and Erin Lindsay was restless. Like most other aircrafts, the pilot had judged it safe enough for them not to be buckled right into their seats. Still, Erin wasn't the best flyer in the world and preferred to still wear it when she was still sitting down.

Erin _wasn't_ sitting down right now though, she was pacing: wandering up and down and weaving in between the seats. It was probably a combination of boredom (Jay was sleeping) tiredness (but she couldn't seem to get comfortable) and hunger (where was the freaking food kept?). _Was it too early for a drink?_

"If you don't stop pacing soon, you're going to put a hole in the floor."

Erin spun around, she thought the Prince had been sleeping and the sound of his voice made her jump. "How do you know I'm pacing? You're asleep."

"Yeah," he scoffed. "Like that's possible when you're tripped over my foot a thousand times. What's up?"

She shrugged. "Not that keen on flying."

Jay sat up in the chair he'd been slouching in. "Now you're telling me? I thought you'd flown loads of times."

"Not this far," she said quietly, completely aware this was working _way_ against her tough bodyguard image.

"Mhm," Jay's eyes narrowed. "Erin, did you watch a movie last night after we'd got back in after the fire alarm?" He sat upright from the waist now, almost out of his chair.

Erin grimaced. "Maybe."

"What was it?" Through the months he'd known her, Prince Jay had figured out that she was a fan of a late-night movie, one genre in particular.

Erin had mumbled him a response but he didn't quite catch it. "Huh?"

"Final Destination," she confessed, looking out of the window. Not much point, all she could see was cloud.

"You watched a movie about planes and people dying the night before you're taking a long flight. Well _that_ was an outright stupid idea," he laughed. "Get over here." He waited until Erin stood over where he was sitting, got up himself and gently pushed her shoulders so she occupied his chair.

Then he went over to the minibar, pulled out a controller of some kind and pushed a few buttons. They were slowly descended into a darkness as Jay had pressed something releasing the blinds on the aircraft's windows.

Simultaneously, Erin thought she felt the temperature rising too, and she wasn't as cold as she'd been before.

Jay poured them both a drink- he went for Scotch- and wandered back over to where he'd been sitting. "Don't get comfortable just yet," he handed one of the glasses to Erin but swivelled around again and pulled a blanket out from underneath the chairs. "There's room for two of us on this thing," he smiled and Erin shuffled slightly so he could resume position.

He draped the blanket over her and pulled her legs to rest over him. Jay produced a TV remote out of nowhere and the plasma on the wall came to life. "I'm thinking we _avoid_ shows and movies that have anything to do with planes and flying and _whatever_. What else do you like to watch?" The hand that held Jay's whisky glass rested on top of Erin's jean-clad leg.

She'd already taken a pretty big gulp from her own glass. "You choose," she shrugged, not really minding whatever would be on the TV. The alcohol itself was enough to distract her.

"Then I'm going comedy," Jay smirked, clicking on something that had Will Ferrell as the icon.

Erin made herself comfortable, shuffling down until her head rested against the large arm cushion.

When the movie was finished and the credits music started rolling, the young Prince looked over at his company, a soft smile tugging up one side of his mouth.

Erin had fallen asleep, the arm still clutching the empty whisky glass dangling over the side of the chair they shared. It seemed unnecessary to wake her and Jay grimaced at the thought of moving, not knowing how deep a sleep she was in.

Manoeuvring himself out from underneath her, Jay moved to pour another measure and downed it in one as he leaned against the bar. His gaze drifted between the changing TV and the position Erin lay in the chair until he finally opened the blinds and looked out of the window. Finally to something other than clouds.

The Prince raised his eyebrows. "Hey," he spoke in little more than a whisper and balanced his glass at the side of the bar.

Erin didn't appear to stir, although that changed when he sat back down again.

She sat up quicker than she should have and stretched. "What did I miss?"

Jay pulled a face. "Uh Erin, I hate to break it to you but you slept through the _whole_ thing. We're on the flight back to London right now…"

"Hilarious," Erin thumped a finger against his arm. "Hey, are we almost there?"

"I'd say so," the Prince pointed towards the window now he'd moved the blinds. "Welcome to the other side of the world."

 **Please Review!**


End file.
